Rollercoaster
by jadeesunshine
Summary: As the years of Lily Potter's life live on, lust and loss threaten to hurt all that is dear to her. However she finds she can always count on Scorpius. But what if he's not there one day, creating the biggest fall of the rollercoaster? Is it too much or can the relationship recover?
1. Magic Unknown

_Author's Note: Hola people! This is my new story. I haven't completely forgotten about my other stories but I've been lacking inspiration on them. Anyway, I love reading Lily/Scorpius fanfiction and decided to write my own. I hope it isn't full of cliches because I'm trying hard not to. It was get more interesting soon, I just have to lay the foundations down._

_Enjoy!_

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"Lils! What are you doing still up?"

"Ssh James." An ten year old Lily Potter raised her fingers to her lips, her dressing gown wrapped around her body, before turning back to the door of the lounge. Her brother crept towards her with muffled footsteps. It was late; way past both of their bedtimes. "Mum and Dad are talking," she breathed.

James leaned above her, pressing his ear against the door hinges. The door was partially opened, exposing the roaring fire that was burning brightly. "What are they talking about?" With a peak through the hinges, Lily noticed her father pouring glasses of mead.

"Me," Lily whispered.

"Harry, you have to consider the possiblity that-."

"I will not give up on her. It's in our blood and it's in hers too. We just need to have some patience and a little bit of faith."

"Don't think for a second that I'm giving up on our little girl. I want to believe it. I want to believe that she'll show some sign of the power she possesses. But few reveal their magic at such a late age. One more year and she'll be expecting to join the boys at Hogwarts. I can't disappoint her and yet, we've filled her up with false hope, building her up. I'm stuck for answers Harry." Her mother's breathing hitched and gentle sobs began, barely audible above the crackling fire.

It was hard to believe. Lily felt her eyes collect tears in the corners but she willed herself not to cry. She rarely cried, not even as a child: she wasn't about to start now. Would she really not go to Hogwarts? It was her dream. She had a picture of the beautiful castle next to her calendar, counting down the days until she would pack her trunk and leave. Behind her, James pulled her in for a variation of a hug, keeping both their ears trained on their parents, pressed against the hinges.

"Ginny, listen to me. Our special little girl has been magical since the day she was born. I felt it when you broke my hand the day you gave birth to her. I felt it when I first held her. I feel it every time she smiles or laughs or kisses my cheek. Whether she displays it or not, our Lily is as magical as James and Albus. Possibly more."

"But-."

"No," Harry abruptly interrupted. "There are no buts or ifs or maybes. I refuse to believe Lily isn't anything other than our beautiful, happy, special, _magical_ daughter."

"Harry, we have to consider the possibility that Lily could be a.."

The world crashed around Lily. A single word echoed through her brain, pulsating and throbbing with every repetition. It was possible. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. Her entire family was magical. Even Lucy, her six year old cousin, had displayed magic, waking up to find her room transformed into a forest. It was in her blood.

And yet, the same question wouldn't leave her. Was she really a Squib?

She didn't stand still for more than a second before her feet thundered up the stairs, not caring at the noise it created. The tears were on the brink. With every blink she tried to clear them but instead her vision blurred. Her name echoed up the house – both her mother and father's voices. By then she was on the second set of stairs to the top of the house.

Usually, she would have locked herself in her room, bolting the door and pushing the small sofa against the door so no one could get in without the use of forceful magic. But with every step, Lily felt more and more breathless, like in any second her heart would implode. So she made for her favourite part of the house, the rooftop garden.

The air was cool outside. There was a small breeze trickling through her curls, refreshing her. After a few moments, the tears that were threatening to spill, receded within her. Her vision cleared along with her head. She processed the recent information.

It was unbelievable. She had no magic. She may never have magic. She'll be stuck in a Muggle school, learning Muggle things, working towards a Muggle job. No Hogwarts. No feasts. No ghosts. No wands. No Quidditch. To Lily, it felt as if her life was already over before it had began.

"Lilykins?"

"I don't want to talk." She turned her body away from her father, staring out into the blackened trees at the end of her garden. Above her, the moon shone brightly along with the stars sparking across the navy sky. "Leave me alone."

"Lily I know you heard everything." Her father's voice grew louder as he moved towards her. "I think we need to talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you. "

Before Lily could take another breath, Lily was pulled into her father's arms. Her feelings were mixed. In part, she wanted to hate him, for lying to her constantly. But he was her father and as much as she hated his deceit, she loved him. So Lily didn't fight him.

"I'll speak. You listen," he said firmly. "I love you Lily Luna Potter." She could feel his fingers run through her curls, just like he used to do when she was little, everyday after work. He said it was soothing. "Since the day you were born, you've been the most special thing in my life. I never thought I would want to protect my family anymore than I already did but when you opened your big, beautiful brown eyes to stare at me, I swear Lils, my heart melted. I'd never felt more protective over anything in my life. To me, you are magical."

"But what if I'm not magical?" Lily's words were muffled into her father's shirt.

"I will not love you any less than I did when you were born because the truth is Lils, you are magical. I believe that you have magic. You just need to find it, harness it and flourish it and then I promise you, you'll shine brighter then the stars above us now."

"Do you think my magic will come?" The stars twinkled extra bright as she gazed up at them with her dad.

His moonlit green eyes turned to hers and Lily tried to smile weakly. "I think you will be the best witch of your age. Better than your Aunt Hermione I'd bet. And I would hate to be one of your brothers getting on the bad side of you when you do because I have a feeling you'll be hexing them every other day." Lily giggled and a geniune smile stretched across her face. "Are you going to be alright Lilykins?"

One particular star shone extra bright, illuminating the sky around it with a white glow. "I'll be fine," Lily whispered and the star burned brilliantly as if responding. "I just want to stay out here for a bit longer."

"Alright Lils." He squeezed her tightly, pulling his fingers free of her curls, kissing her forehead. "Don't stay up too late. We have to be up early to take the boys to the station." With one last look at the sky, Harry left his daughter in the breeze, closing the glass door behind her.

As soon as he left, Lily tugged her gown around her tighter. Already the night air was chilling her. She looked up at the stars, bending to the slabbed floor before laying on it, happily staring at the navy blanket of night, trying to count the stars.

Lily reached 68 when the door behind her opened.

Arching her back, Lily spotted the white blond hair, all messed up and pointed in different angles. She smiled shyly, relaxing her body. He settled next to her, draping a blanket over both of them. Automatically, she cuddled closer, her head resting on his outstretched arm.

"I thought you'd be cold."

"Thankyou," Lily murmured, her focus returning to the burning star that was brighter than ever. "Did you hear?"

"Yes," he admitted. Lily turned her head, watching him stare at the sky too. His head turned towards her, smiling. "It's be fine Lils. I didn't get my magic until I was nine. For ages, my grandfather kept moaning about my disgrace to the Malfoy family name. Then one day, he was taking care of me, teaching me about our ancestors. He just kept saying that being pureblood was honourable and noble and if I ever married a Muggleborn or even someone of halfblood, I'd be disinherited and become an outcast of the family.

"I remember being so angry at him, disgrading people he didn't know and all of a sudden, this energy surged through me and I sent my grandfather flying across the room. I broke his leg but he was so proud of me for finding my magic that he didn't get angry."

"Do you think my magic will come Scorpius?"

"I'd put all the Galleons in the world on you. It's a natural instinct; something you were born with. It's fine if other people believe in you. The important thing is you have to believe. If you don't believe in yourself, your magic will never show itself."

"How do I do that?" A cloud moved across the illuminated moon, darkening Lily's vision. She couldn't see anything apart from his icy blue eyes twinkling in front of her. Lily couldn't help but think about how beautiful his eyes were; more ablaze than the stars above.

The moon peeked through the clouds, revealing Scorpius' face, a smile broadening. "It's instinctual Lily. All you need to do is believe."

"Easier said than done," Lily mumbled under her breath. Scorpius chuckled to himself, returning his gaze back to the stars. With a deep sigh, Lily stared at the moon, trying to identify the features of the face she always remembered seeing when she was little. She yawned, turning her head away from Scorpius so he wouldn't see.

But he was observant.

"Before you argue, bed!" The blanket disappeared from Lily's body and shivers ran down her spine, pulling her up into a sitting position. Scorpius was already on his feet, folding the blanket in his arms. Lily climbed to her feet, pulling her dressing gown tighter around her body.

"Thankyou for talking to me Scorpius. It means a lot to me." Lily smiled shyly under his gaze, ducking her head to hide her face, curls immediately falling. She'd been crushing on the young Malfoy since Albus brought him home for Christmas. His parents were travelling on a one year cruise around the world for business purposes, meaning Scorpius had spent his summer holidays either with the Potters or his cousins, the Higgs.

"Just believe," Scorpius whispered, hugging Lily into his side loosely. They headed into The Den, a room designated to the children of the house and their friends and relatives, complete with a small kitchen with Muggle appliances along with a Muggle TV and game console. But they didn't stop in the room.

They left, stopping at the top of the stairs. "Goodnight," Lily whispered, suddenly aware of her parents and brothers on the floors below them. He whispered Lily 'goodnight', casting a smirk in her direction. She smiled weakly, backing into her bedroom and waiting for him to descend the stairs. Only then did she enter her bedroom.

Her heart raced, her stomach flipping repeatedly. Lily couldn't believe it. She spun around, circling until she tripped on a loose Converse, sending her crashing into a pile of clothes nesting on her bed. The schoolgirl giggles erupted and Lily felt the need to pinch herself.

All because of a hug.


	2. Breakfast With A Dash Of Glitter

"And then Merlin turned up and started kissing me while the founders of Hogwarts watched, chewing on some Sugar Quills!"

The two Slytherins were climbing the stairs from the dungeons, heading towards the wafting smell of bacon and the chatter that accompanied it. Deciding to catch a couple more minutes of sleep, the young boys with strikingly opposite hair colours were running late. But one of them seemed to be sleepwalking.

"Oh and I forgot the best bit. A dragon flew through the window and ate Professor Binns." He was watching his best friend, his eyes narrowed on the white blond boy. He was paler than usual, dark circles shadowing his eyes. "Are you listening to me?"

He didn't respond. Instead he twisted his wand in his fingers, his blank eyes staring in front of him without noticing anything.

"Dude!" Albus nudged his best friend hard, making him stumble back to reality.

His best friend looked at him in disbelief. "Dude, what's wrong with you?" They continued climbing the last staircase, Albus receiving a shove in return.

"I have been trying to have a conversation with you! What's wrong? You've been acting strange all week. I would have thought you would have been excited. Christmas is nearly here!"

"Let's go eat some breakfast." He sprinted forwards and Albus had to run to catch up. As they entered the Great Hall, Albus was breathing deeply. "Maybe you should lay off the bacon!"

"Maybe you should shut your pie hole Malfoy!" Albus glanced at his friend and saw him smirking back. Clapping him on the back, Albus sighed, happy to have his best friend back to normal. He seated himself next to him at the long table, immediately piling his plate with bacon, sausages, eggs and toast.

Scorpius was too preoccupied to eat. His head was racing with thoughts. With a week to go before the Christmas feast and the beginning of the holidays, Hogwarts was slowly decorating itself. Everyone was excited to go home and spend time with their families. But not Scorpius.

Recently he received a letter from his father, informing him of the plans for this holiday. Apparently, his grandparents were accomapaning them to the Slytherin Ball and staying for Christmas Day too. This was terrible news. His grandmother was a delight. His grandfather? Less than so. Whenever Lucius Malfoy came to stay, Scorpius had the worst time of his life.

Last Christmas had been amazing; half of it spent with his cousins Percy and Eve. The other half was spent with Albus and the Potters. At first he hadn't wanted to go. He was a Malfoy. It was common knowledge that they shouldn't get along. However, even with that, Albus and Scorpius became the best of friends. And once he settled in, they treated him like family.

An owl screeched from above. Hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall, gliding with their wings spread out wide. Scorpius snapped out of his daze, his eyes flickering to the morning sky. He didn't recognise any of the owls so he dropped his head to stare into the bottom of his pumpkin juice. Hairs on his head were ruffled as owls swooped low and to his left, Scorpius felt the flutter of wings beat against his face as an owl landed.

"AJ!" Albus cried. When Scorpius looked up, Albus was trying to shoo his tawny owl away. AJ was dipping his beak into his owner's pumpkin juice. "Fine AJ! You can have my juice. Can I have the letters first?" Turning his head away from Albus, AJ defiantly stuck his leg out and allowed the letters to be untied. "Thankyou," he murmured.

Flicking the envelope opened, Albus frowned. "There's a letter here for you too." He offered the letter to Scorpius.

His name was scribbled in fluid handwriting. A crimson seal embossed with the letter 'P' was situated in the middle of the envelope and after popping it open, glitter exploded in his face, making him cough and splutter mouthfuls. As he pulled out the letter, scribbled on with the same neat handwriting, Scorpius racked his brains at the best hex to punish the person with. Already he could feel the stares and hear the laughter.

It was from Lily.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_How is Hogwarts? I can't wait to hear all the adventures you and Albus have gotten up to this term over Christmas. Oh wait, Dad just told me I'm not supposed to tell you that. Oh well, I've lost my ink eraser so I guess ... SURPRISE! You're coming to our house for part of your holiday!_

_But I didn't tell you about the best thing! I'm not a Squib anymore. Well I guess I never was if I have magic now but I lost my eraser and now I can't stop writing. Anyway I have magic now so I guess I'll be joining you at Hogwarts. WOOOH!_

_We were in Diagon Alley and this troll was absolutely drunk. According to Seb, he'd been drinking since 8am in the Leaky Cauldron and trust me, you could smell the Firewhiskey all the way from Gringotts. Right so he's stumbling around, trying to carry boxes of horribly smelling poo. I mean no poo smells pleasant but this smelt like it had been baking in the sun for days. He walks past Hugo and I at Florean Fortescue's, putting us off our ice creams immediately, and he trips over one of the goblins. The boxes fall from his arms towards us and before I knew it, I'm blasting myself through the ceiling and standing on the roof, looking through a hole down to Hugo, who unfortunately didn't get out of the way in time. Dad had to pay for the damages but I think he was so proud of me, he didn't mind._

_I just want to say thankyou Scorpius. I did it! I believed in myself and it happened. Even as I write this, I can't stop smiling because I'm so happy. Again, thankyou._

_Oh and I'm sorry about the glitter but I couldn't resist embarassing you. _

_Lots of love,_

_Lily._

"Who's it from?" Albus asked as Scorpius finished the letter and folded it back in the envelope, tucking it in his robes. He tried to peer over his best friend's shoulder but he'd always been a secretive person.

"Just your annoying sister," Scorpius replied, shaking his hair for dramatic effect. Millions of flecks of glitter trickled from the white blond strands of hair. He looked down at his plate, groaning at what had been his breakfast. Now it was inedible, covered with a blanket of glitter.

From behind him, heavy hands braced his shoulders and shook him gently. "Whoa! Dude, what's with all the glitter?" Seating himself on the other side of Scorpius, pushing a first year out of the way, Kaleb Murphy, with brown hair mixed with a cauldron of shades, smiled before stuffing half a slice of toast in his mouth at once.

"Little Lily sent me a letter and the explosion was her idea of a joke." Scorpius ruffled his hair more and flicked the glitter in Kaleb direction. He tried to protest but it was hard to understand with toast crammed in his mouth.

With a hard swallow, Kaleb cleared his mouth, pushing the last glitter flecks in Scorpius' hair. "Let's go. We've got Defence Against the Dark Arts in five minutes and I refuse to be late to Professor Wilson's class again. His detentions are the worst."

Albus gulped the last of his drink down and climbed from the bench. "And I thought you were just really exciting about learning about werewolves." That earned his a shove from Kaleb as Scorpius just shook his head, walking out of the Great Hall with his smirk growing across his face.

Maybe Christmas wouldn't be so bad.

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_Author's Note: Unfortunately, not every chapter will be out as quickly. I have planned loads but writing them is slow because I have college. Anyway I just watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it was fantastic. So I'm extending my happiness to you. I hope you enjoyed and remember..._

**REVIEW!**


	3. An Old Tattered Hat

She couldn't believe it was really happening. After years of watching her older brothers jump on the Hogwarts Express to master magic and have amazing adventures, it was finally her turn. She couldn't believe she was magical and neither did her parents. For a while, being a Squib seemed like a fact she'd have to get used to. But here she was; trunk packed; wand bought; books read. All she had to do was climb onto the train.

"Dad? Are you crying?"

Quickly, her father turned away, facing his wife who pulled a tissue out of her bag for him. "Of course not!" But he couldn't hide the dabbing of his eyes from his daughter. She was extremely observant. "I think the steam from the train irritates my eyes.

"I'll be fine Dad!" Smiling brightly, Lily stepped forward and hugged her father tight, trying to forget the fact she was tiny in comparison. He lifted her off her feet and Lily buried her face in his shoulder, inhaling the distinct smell of his aftershave. "I'll miss you," she mumbled directly into his ear.

"Just don't forget to write," Harry pleaded, kissing Lily's wavy hair and setting her feet back on the ground. "I don't think your mother will be able to survive if all of her children fail to write. Already your brothers think they're too old to be sending letters home."

She had to reach up onto her tiptoes but thankful, Lily's mother leaned down to kiss her daughter's cheek. "If anyone gives you trouble, make sure to know a good collection of hexes."

"Mum, you've already taught me the Bat Bogey Hex!"

Ginny dropped to one knee, cradling Lily's face in her hands. "You are a beautiful girl. And trust me, I don't think it'll go unnoticed at Hogwarts. I need you to keep your head down and make sure you do all your homework. If someone give you some unwanted attention, curse them into the hospital wing." From behind her, Harry appeared.

"Come on Ginny. We don't want her missing the train."

Together, they squeezed Lily in an embrace until she was gasping for air. They helped her find a compartment and lifted her trunk into the overhead compartment. A cloud of steam was emitted from the train and Lily poked her head out of the small window to wave. She could see the tears roll down her parents faces but she stayed strong. Lily rarely cried.

Once the train turned the corner, the platform disappeared and Lily sighed. Finally, she was going to Hogwarts.

At that moment, as Lily ran her fingers through her hair, her compartment door slid opened, revealing a timid girl with brown hair, chocolate brown eyes made brighter with her pale skin. "Do you mind if I sit here? I don't know anyone and it's my first year." To Lily's delight, the girl was the same height as her so naturally Lily welcomed her in.

"I'm Ariana by the way," the girl added, lifting her trunk over her head and stumbling backwards from the weight. Lily quickly introduced herself, rising to help place her trunk on the shelf above with a small cage.

"So where are you from?" Lily asked, propping her legs up on the bench and looking at Ariana who continued to sit politely with her hands in her lap.

"I live in Devon by the beach. My mum's a witch from Canada and my dad is the owner of a chain of hotels all around the world so he travels a lot."

"Is he a wizard too?" As soon as Lily said it, she knew she should have kept her mouth shut. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business. Sometimes I speak before I think."

"Sometimes?"

Lily looked to the compartment door and smiled brightly. "Dominique!" She rushed to her cousin, squeezing her tightly. "I couldn't find you on the platform."

"That's because I was nearly late. Victoire is the ditzy person ever. She was too busy sending a letter to Teddy." Pulling away, Lily stepped aside and her cousin noticed that Lily wasn't alone. "Where are my manners? I'm Dominique Weasley." Without giving her a second to breathe, Dominique pulled the girl in for a hug.

From behind, Lily mouthed "I'm sorry!" However Ariana just smiled, wincing as Dominique squeezed tighter.

"I'm Ariana," she finally managed after a few gasps of air once she'd been released. "It's a pleasure to meet you." They shook hands and all sat down, Lily on one side and Dominique and Ariana on the other bench.

Dominique crossed her legs and turned her body towards Ariana. "Tell me about yourself."

After an hour or so, Lily had learnt a lot about Ariana. Her full name was Ariana May – no middle name. Her father was a millionaire businessman but her parents split up when she was little. Ariana didn't seem to mind though. "I get two birthdays, two Christmases, two Easters." Her mum was a witch, working in the Department of Magical Education at the Ministry and although she lived with her mum, she went to a Muggle school.

"That sounds awesome!" Dominique exclaimed. "My mother and older sister homeschooled me." Lily rolled her eyes; growing up together Dominique had always been dramatic. "Lily however got to experience Muggle life."

Ariana looked towards her. It was true; Harry wanted his children to be thankful of their magical background and sent them to a school of Muggles. James exposed his magic for the first time in a P.E lesson whilst playing tennis – he hit the ball so hard it blasted through the concrete walls, knocking out the teacher in the next room.

"What did you think of Muggle school?" Ariana asked, staring into her hands.

"It was fun. But Hogwarts is going to be better," Lily said, smiling brightly. From somewhere in the room, Lily heard a small meow. "What was that?" Both Dominique and Lily darted their stares around the compartment.

Meanwhile, Ariana was rummaging in the overhead compartment. "Sorry," she murmured, opening a cage door above her. "It's my new kitten." From the cage, Ariana pulled a small black kitten with white fur surrounding its face. "He's called Shadow."

"He is so cute!" Lily and Dominique squealed in unison.

Shadow pounced out of Ariana's arms, into Lily's lap. He circled himself several times before sticking his front paws out and curling up in a small black ball. "I think he likes you," Ariana remarked, sitting back down. Running her fingers down his spine, Lily felt Shadow purr happily.

"Anything from the trolley dears?"

Immediately, Dominique bounced from her seat, rummaging into her satchel for her purse. "Can I have three Pumpkin Pasties and ten Chocolate Frogs please?" After paying some Sickles and Knuts, everyone in the compartment was passed a pasty. Ariana ordered a few bottles of pumpkin juice and Lily bought her favourite Sugar Quills.

They had just started tucking into the Chocolate Frogs when the compartment door slid open. "So this is where you've been hiding!" Hugo Weasley, a small boy with numerous freckles and the typical Weasley red hair, dramtically fell back into the seat next to Lily. "Rose has been driving me crazy."

"What'd she do?" Dominique asked, ripping the head of her frog off with her teeth.

"She wanted to go through my trunk and check I remembered everything. Only thing was she did the same thing last night. As did my mother." Hugo snatched one of Lily's Sugar Quills and leaned back in his chair, sighing extremely loudly. When he opened his eyes, he realised his cousins weren't alone.

"Oh my Merlin. I'm Hugo Weasley. I'm sure they've told you loads about me." Stretching his hand out, Hugo shook Ariana's hand enthusiastically.

"I'm Ariana. And I don't think they mentioned you at all."

Gobsmacked, Hugo turned his astonished expression to Lily who simply shrugged, biting into a Sugar Quill. "We didn't think you were of high importance." She watched Hugo's jaw drop further and smiled, poking her tongue out at him.

"First yers, this way!"

Leaning out of the train, Lily noticed the huge silhouette of Hagrid and bounced out of the train. She checked to see everyone was following her and then she led the way into the crowds of students. As she followed the booming voice of the gameskeeper, Lily managed to fight her way through and smiled, standing directly in front of her was her father's very close friend.

"Little Lily!" Hagrid said, crouching down and wrapping a tree trunk of an arm around her tiny frame, pushing her into his coat that wriggled from within. "I swear you haven't grown since you were six." Releasing her, Hagrid looked down at Lily with a goofy smile.

"It's not my fault," Lily argued, straining her neck to look at him. From her perpective, Hagrid looked like a fully grown giant. Looking around her, she saw a group of small children, all taller than her apart from Ariana but all shorter than the other students.

Standing to one side, Hagrid gestured for the first years to follow him and they walked off the platform down a small pathway to a small dock, harbouring several small boats with lanterns flickering. "Four to a boat," Hagrid bellowed and carefully, Lily, Hugo, Ariana and Dominique climbed into the nearest. Once the last student was seated, the boats set off and Lily let out an excited squeal.

"Hogwarts, here we come!"

###

Lily focused on the floor. She could feel the stares as she walked next to Ariana nervously down the aisle between two long tables of the Great Hall. Never had it been this long. She peered up from behind her hair and spotted James smiling broadly at her, making Lily laugh silently to herself.

Finally Neville – Professor Longbottom – stopped in front of the table of teachers, standing behind the infamous stool and old, tattered hat. It came to life, singing a beautiful unexpected song about the qualities of each house. And when it was finished, Lily clapped along with everyone else and the hat became lifeless.

Pulling a scroll out from inside his robes, Neville cleared his throat and looked to the list. "Scarlet Ash!"

A very tall for her age, blonde girl with tanned brown hair stepped up, planting herself on top of the stool. The hat was placed on top of her head and her eyes closed tight. Within seconds, the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!" and her eyes darted open as the table of snakes burst into cheers. The girl skipped off the stool to join her house and Lily caught the smiles of Albus and Scorpius beaming at her.

Turn by turn, students were divided. Brooke Baker, Toby Cannon, Zoey Cobbs, Joshua Davis, Bradley Harris, Scott Lawson and Mason Pebble joined Hufflepuff.

Jennifer Bailey, Niall Finnigan Benjamin Horne, Tazeem Makbari and Ebony Marie became Ravenclaws.

Noah Barnsley, Tyger Cooke, Emma Hitchington and Erin Knight joined Scarlet as Slytherins.

Gryffindor welcomed Violet Brown and Sebastian Longbottom, much to the delight of Neville, who pulled his son in for a hug as soon as the hat shouted his house. Quickly joining them were Ryan Lowe, Harvey Lunes and a nervous Ariana who smiled weakly at Lily as she went to sit opposite Sebastian.

"Lily Potter?"

All of a sudden, Lily was very aware that every pair of eyes were on her. She moved slowly, climbing the few steps steadily in an effort of control her breathing. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered violently and all too soon, the three-legged stool was looming in front of her. Neville smiled encouragingly and with a deep breath, Lily spun in her place and sat of the stool. The last thing she saw was every student staring up at her, leaning closer to hear the shouts of the hat, and then the frayed, old, decaying hat slipped over her eyes.

"_Ah! Mmm. Another Potter, ey? Let's think about this. You have so many qualities.; intelligence that matches a Ravenclaw and yet you're humble about it. Maybe Hufflepuff? No, there's a darker side to you. A cunning and sneaky Potter fit for Slytherin. And yet you possess every attribute of a worthy Gryffindor: strong in mind and heart, brave and open-minded, courageous and daring. It seems you are in the same situation as your father. Do you have an opinion on your house Miss Potter?"_

Lily's breathing accelerated. By now, it was threatening to pound straight out of her chest. What house did she want to be a part of? She'd dreamt of being a Gryffindor ever since she watched Teddy go to Hogwarts. But when Albus became a Slytherin, Lily realised that each house has its benefits and she shouldn't be too quick to judge. Besides Albus wasn't evil and neither was Scorpius.

"Look into my heart and I believe that answer will be known for all." Once again, the silent words in her head started and Lily knew the hat had made its decision.

"_You speak wise words for one of such a young age. It's refreshing to hear. By following your words, it's only fair that I look into your heart. I guess you fit in..."_

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat was lifted from her head and booming cheers as loud as fireworks exploded in the Great Hall and Lily was amazed. With a beaming smile, she hopped off and the Gryffindor table burst into song, singing 'We Got Potter' repeatedly. As she approached Ariana, she was hugged tightly by several Gryffindors including James who was smiling proudly and declaring her as his sister to anyone within earshot. When she finally seated herself next to Ariana, the cheers lulled and Neville cleared his throat to continue the sorting.

Finley Roberts, Oscar Rutherford, Vivenne Timms and Phoebe Warren were sorted into Gryffindor – who cheered the loudest whenever they had a new addition.

Twins, Elle and Orla Summers made Hufflepuff along with Georgina Robinson.

Carlos Rodriguez, Tom Samuels, Brogan Tavenport and Julia Vine were welcomed loudly to Slytherin.

Ravenclaw cheered respectively when Khloe Spencer and Alfie Tucker leapt off the stool and joined their table.

Finally it was Dominique's turn.

Lily smiled happily as Dominique cautiously approached the hat. Just before the hat covered her eyes, Lily caught a wink from her cousin and couldn't help but hold her breath. However within seconds, the hat shouted Gryffindor and Lily sighed happily, joining in with the clapping as Dominique raced to sit next to her.

"Hugo Weasley?" Lily shuffled in her seat to get a better look. It was clear Hugo was nervous; Lily could see his hands shaking by his side. The hat was placed on Hugo's head and Lily chanced a look around. Every member of her family was staring at Hugo worriedly. Had they been looking at her the same way?

It seemed like forever before the hat spoke. And no one expected the hat to place Hugo in Ravenclaw. The hat bellowed out and the Ravenclaws cheered as Hugo slowly left the hat and Neville, walking towards the table of eagles.

"At least he'll be with Molly!" Dominique mused, shrugging her shoulders casually as they clapped in Hugo's honour. He sat next to Niall Finnigan – the son of her father's friend – and looked partially happy. Immediately Molly walked over and squeezed Hugo hard. Lily couldn't help but laugh.

The final student to be sorted was Yasmine Yeung who joined Ravenclaw. Then the Headmaster, Professor Creevey, stood briefly to let the feast begin. He raised his arms to the enchanted ceiling and magnificient platters of food appeared in front of every student instantly.

"I love magic!" Lily squealed to herself, filling her plate with roasted potatoes, strips of chicken and everything else within her reach. Filling her goblet with pumpkin juice, she glanced up the table. James was deep in conversation with Alicia Longbottom, Neville's only daughter who was in her fifth year with James and her cousins Fred and Roxanne. James looked up and smiled brightly, stabbing a sausage and ripping it off the fork into his mouth.

Besides Lily, Dominique was tucking into a chicken drumstick. "Oh my god!" she moaned, taking another bite in a very unlady fashion. "Don't tell Grandma but this is the best food I've ever tasted. C'est magnifique."

"Your secret is safe with me," Lily said, winking to her cousin.

"Do you know what would make this feast the best?" Ariana asked, flapping her arms collectively at the spread of food surrounding them. "Chinese food!" With a jab of her fork, she picked up a boiled potato. "I mean, this is some of the most amazing food I've ever tasted but it needs Chinese food," she declared.

"Muggleborn?" the boy opposite asked. To Lily's recollection, his name was Oscar.

Ariana shook her head, ducking it so she faced her plate. "Half blood," she answered quietly, sneaking a glance up to make sure he heard. Kindly, Oscar smiled towards her and Ariana sat up straighter. "My father's a Muggle."

From the other end of the Gryffindor table, a distraction erupted, disturbing the entire hall from the feast into silence.

"For Merlin's sake, you are an insufferable, arrogant, self-righteous, conceited git, James Potter! Newsflash asshole, your father is the famous one so quit strutting around the castle like you own it. Not every guy wants to be you and not every girl wants to be with you. Just grow up!"

Walking away from an astounded James, who was too shellshocked to move, Alicia Longbottom marched down the aisle, pushing open the double doors and disappearing behind them. As they slammed back into place, James seemed to come to his senses. "Alice, come on!" He followed her and Lily caught Neville at the teacher's table, standing up but Professor Creevey ushered them back to his chair.

The chatter picked up almost immediately. Everyone was buzzing about the sudden outburst, the air was literally electric. However Lily took a different approach to the arguement. She rolled her eyes, to Dominique and Sebastian mainly, before taking second helpings of everything.

"Is that a typical thing?" Ariana asked.

Finshing his goblet, Sebastian wiped what was on his upper lip and said tiredly,"Absolutely. A few years ago, James expressed feelings for Alice to her. However she thought he was too obnoxious."

"I think she said he was pretentious," Dominique injected.

Lily swallowed her food quickly. "Loathsome too." It was common family knowledge that James was fighting a losing battle. But her father told him about his namesake and how he chased Lily Evans for years before she finally agreed to give him a chance. Since then, James hasn't given up.

"How about that for dinner and a show?" From behind Lily stood two tall figures. However in Lily's eyes, everyone was talller. Nudging her to the side, Albus sat himself next to her, Scorpius on her other side. "Don't you ever get embarrassed by his actions?"

"Blame Dad. He's the one who filled him with hope."

"Oh yeah!" Albus smacked his head lightly, stealing the potato off of Lily's fork, which was suspended midway between her mouth. "Congratulations on becoming a lion Lils!"

"Truth is, we thought you'd be a Slytherin with us," Scorpius stage whispered, taking the goblet out of Lily's grip and taking a gulpful before giving back to Lily with his classic smirk. As much as she wanted to slap him over the head, Lily couldn't bring herself to harm the cheeky boy.

Instead Lily just laughed to herself. "Nearly. But clearly the Sorting Hat believes I possess more bravery and talent than you." She scowled as Albus stole another mouthful from her fork. Apologetically, he tried to flash Lily the same smirk but unfortunately it didn't have the same effect. Before he could expect anything, Lily slapped the back of his head and everyone around them laughed quietly.

"They love each other really," Dominique assured.

"Come on Al," Scorpius said, rising from the table. "We need to get back before Kaleb eats all the treacle tart." This made Albus practically fall out of his seat so clearly treacle tart was important. Lily stored this away for future uses.

"Have fun with the lions Lils!" Scorpius said, casting a wink at her before smirking to himself and leaving with Albus ahead.

It took a while for Lily to process what happened. She was barely listening to her friends over desert and she sure didn't hear any of Professor Creevey's speech. All she could think about with Scorpius and the wink he gave her. What did it mean? Did it mean anything? A million questions popped into her mind at once. Her thoughts still dwindled on Scorpius as a prefect led them to Gryffindor Tower.

"Are you alright Lily?" Ariana asked, waving her palm in front of Lily's face.

Quickly reality returned and Lily realised where she was. The common room of Grffindor was warm and cosy, a roaring fire burning brightly with odd sofas and armchairs that gravitated towards it. Lily didn't think anywhere would feel like home without her family. But as she circled around the room, Lily let out a sigh and felt content with the new chapter of her life.

"Come on!" Dominique sighed, bouncing in her place. "Let's go and meet our roommates. I need to lie down. Definitely ate too much."

Leading the way, Lily climbed up the stairs reaching the third floor of the tower. On the door was a sign indicating it was the first years dormitory for girls. Inside, there were six beds in two rows, red velvet drapes hanging from the four posts. A large wardrobe was at the end of the room and a door at one side was flickering light. Lanterns were burning slowly, hanging from the ceiling and swinging slightly. One bed had the curtains pulled shut and two other beds were occupied with clothes and books and two girls who were giggling. Lily, Ariana and Dominique found their trunks at the end of their beds. To their contentment, they were sleeping next to each other.

"Hi." Behind Lily, a tall girl with tanned skin and blue piercing eyes that glistened in the lantern light was smiling brightly, flashing her white teeth. But that wasn't the most astonishing part of Lily's new roommate. Her hair was wavy and several different colours; reds and blues and greens and pinks, merging through all shades.

"My name's Vivenne Timms. But please, call me Rainbow!"

"And I'm Violet, Violet Brown," the other girl poked out from behind Rainbow, smiling kindly. She had a slightly rounder figure with a button nose and mousey brown hair that barely reached her shoulders.

Smiling kindly like she had been taught to do, Lily introduced herself and watched realisation of who she was cross the faces of her new roommates. Then Dominique stepped forward to introduce herself, placing emphasis on her surname but it didn't get the same reaction as Lily's, although a flicker of something unknown made Violet's face screw up in thought.

Lastly Ariana introduced herself and Lily's eyes fell on the bed in the corner with the drapes that were closed tightly shut. "Does anyone know who...?" Her voice trailed off as everyone tilted their head in the same direction. Ariana shrugged and Dominique and Violet returned to the beds, clearly not caring enough.

"I think her name is Phoebe," Rainbow said, wrapping her dressing gown tighter to her shoulders and shrugging. "It's nice to meet you." Removing an arm out of her pocket, Lily shook Rainbow's outstretched hand and returned to her bed, getting ready to snuggle up and prepare for her classes tomorrow.

"We're finally here!" she whispered to Dominique, rolling around her bed excitedly like a little girl before settling on her side of face her beaming cousin. Since they were little, going to Platform 9 and ¾ every year, for Teddy and Victoire and James and Fred and Roxanne and Molly and Rose and Albus, they had dreamed of what Hogwarts would be like.

"These are going to be the best and craziest seven years of our lives. I'm glad I get to experience them with you Lils." Dominique reached her arm out, spreading her fingers out. Leaning over and being careful not to fall out of bed, Lily wrapped her forefinger around her cousin's and squeezed tight, just like they did when they were little kids.

"I'm happy too. More than that. Estatic! But maybe you shouldn't be so soppy all the time." Pushing away, Lily rolled back and chuckled to herself. "Now get some sleep!"

Closing her eyes, Lily punched her pillows and finally got comfortable. The day flashed before her eyes and Lily sighed; she'd made a new friend and she'd finally arrived at the place she had envied her brothers for going to for years. Hogwarts had become her new home so fast and yet after everything that had happened, all Lily could think about was the wink Scorpius had given her.

It was so cryptic. No matter how she thought about it, Lily couldn't understand his reasoning behind it. And with questions swimming around her brain about Scorpius and the roommate behind the drapes, Lily slowly drifted into her first sleep at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; a place she would call home.

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_Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter. This story will pick up, I just need to explain all the different plot lines! Remember to_ **REVIEW!**


	4. Helping With Homework

"And this is the worst part of Hogwarts," Lily groaned, throwing her quill at the table in front of her aggressively and leaning back in her chair.

The library wasn't that busy. Most students were outside on the grounds, enjoying the sunshine before it disappeared for months, replaced by cold temperatures, icy winds, snow or rain. However Lily, Dominique, Ariana and Hugo were inside, tackling their first wave of homework. Unsuccessfully. Lily didn't realise that Hogwarts would require hardwork too.

Joining Lily, Hugo threw his quill across his parchment and ran his fingers through his hair. "This and Peeves." The four of them laughed in unison. However Lily noticed Hugo's weak attempt and frowned to herself, her face screwing up and her lips pouting in thought.

"Is everything alright Hugo? You can look at my essay if you want," Lily offered. Her Transfiguration essay had been the first essay she completed; it had been an easy one along with her Defence Against the Dark Arts homework. It was Potions she was stuck on.

But defiant like he was, Hugo shook his head, picked up his quill and dipped it in his inkwell, letting the tip hover a few centimeters from his parchment. "I can do this. I'm a Ravenclaw. The hat must of had a reason." Within seconds though, he was dropping his quill back on the table with nothing added to his essay.

"There's no shame in taking help Hugo," Dominique muttered, glancing up with a reassuring smile on her face before returning to her essay for Charms. She was scribbling about the Levitating Charm. To everyone's surprise, Dominique was amazing at Charms, the only one in the entire year to lift her feather off her desk into the air.

"I don't need help," Hugo snapped. "I need to move out of Ravenclaw. I'm not smart enough to be there."

"Hugo," Lily said attentively.

Running his fingers through his red hair tiredly, Hugo closed his eyes, his head falling into his hands in despair. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes gently and looking up at Lily with tears in his eyes, glistening in the sunlight beaming from the window. "I don't belong Lily."

"Hugo, since the day you helped me with my homework for Muggle school, I've known that you would be the smartest of us all. Even smarter than Rose and Molly. When they explain things, they use words that make no sense and terms with no definition because they expect us to be able to keep up with them. But you, Hugo you're the smartest of them all. If you explain something to me, you make it so logical, it's like common sense.

"You just need faith. If you explained to me your Transfiguration essay, I promise you it would be much better than mine. It's putting it onto paper. And there's nothing wrong with that. You can do this. I have faith in you." Lily smiled and waited until one broke out on Hugo's face. Blinking hard, he cleared the tears from his eyes and laughed to himself.

"I'll write, you talk and then you should go and talk to Professor Flitwick." Sliding the parchment from under Hugo, Lily packed her Potions essay away and dipped her quill into her ink, looking at Hugo expectantly. Within seconds, Hugo launched into his explanation as to the significance of Transfiguration, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye as he dove into his essay like it was a conversation topic. Across the table, Dominique and Ariana were making adjustments to their essays, hanging onto Hugo's every word.

No longer than fifteen minutes later, Hugo was scan reading his essay. "It's perfect. Thankyou Lily." Scrambling to his feet, he gave his small cousin an awkward hug before sitting back down with a smile on his face.

"My pleasure," Lily said, beaming happily with a massive smile spreading across her lips. She leaned back into her chair, satisfied with her work and felt the sun warm her face. "Shall we go outside for a bit?"

Looking up, Dominique raised a questionable eyebrow. "Lily, you haven't finished your Potions essay yet." Lily sighed in defeat. Secretly she had been hoping that her inspiring speech and good deed would mean she didn't have to do her Potions essay. However with her head hung, Lily reached for her Potions essay and inked her quill.

"Hey kiddies," a loud voice boomed and all four heads at the table snapped up. Walking across the library, Albus, Scorpius and someone else who lurked in the shadows of the aisles of books. "What's up?" Albus' loud voice earned him a scowl from Madam Hazel who hissed Albus silent.

Glancing up from her dismal essay, Lily sighed happily, knowing her brother would provide the ultimate distraction from her horrible, life-sucking essay. "Have you been out enjoying the sunshine Al?" Flicking her quill to the table, Lily watched Albus pull up a chair like Scorpius. The boy of the shadows emerged, smiling at Lily.

"I'm Kaleb Murphy. You must be the annoying sister Al frequently moans about." He was tall, an inch or two taller than Scorpius who was already tall. His brown hair stuck up in one direction and he had hazel eyes that sparkled in the sunlight.

At his introduction, Lily looked at her brother in shock. "You moan do you?" All Albus did was shrug, infuriating Lily further. But she remained cool, turning back to Kaleb. "I don't know how many sisters Albus has told you about but I'm Lily, the amazing one."

"The modest one too," Dominique remarked and everyone broke out into snickers; apart from Lily who frowned at her cousin. "Don't frown Lily," she said, not even looking up from her parchment. "It's bad for wrinkles." With a fake smile, Lily poked her tongue out and turned to her brother.

"Bye Lily. I'm going to Professor Flitwick's." Before Lily could register anything, Hugo had gathered up his work and was hurrying from the table, faster than a Hippogriff.

"That was.."

"Odd," Ariana finished, looking up from her Defence Against the Dark Arts homework. "I'm Ariana by the way."

"It's nice to meet you," Kaleb said, taking Hugo's empty seat next to Lily and summoning an extra chair closer to prop his feet up. "Making you," he mused, pointing his wand towards her, "Dominique." With a glance from her Charms essay, she smiled at the confident Slytherin before dotting her last sentence and putting her quill to rest.

"What are you working on Lils?" This was the first time Scorpius had spoken since they arrived. His voice made Lily's head swoon and she had to mentally hit herself. She had no understanding as to why she felt this way about him but her train of thought seem to derail whenever he was around.

As he leaned over to take Lily's Potions essay, Lily returned to reality, too late to snatch it from his grasp. She didn't want him reading her terrible attempt. However she didn't have much of a choice and soon his grey-blue eyes were scanning her scribbles.

"There you go," Ariana said, leaning across the table to hand Lily her essay back. "I've finished now."

"Can we go and get some dinner now? I'm starving." Trust Albus to always be considering his stomach. Timed to perfection, his stomach growled in agreement. Laughing happily, Ariana and Dominique packed their things into their bags. As did Lily.

"Sit back down," Scorpius instructed, replacing Albus in the chair next to him. "For one thing, you only have five uses for dragon's blood and secondly, one of them is wrong." He passed her essay back to her and Lily slumped over the table, resting her head in her arms. Why did she suck at Potions?

"Are you coming mate?" Kaleb asked, pushing himself up from his seat.

Shaking his head, Scorpius said, "I'm going to help Lily with her essay. It shouldn't take too long."

"Bye Lilykins," Kaleb said, walking away with Ariana, Dominique and Albus before she could protest at the ridiculous nickname. As they left, Lily found herself frowning again. It remained when she turned back to to her essay.

The muffled movement of Scorpius' chair distracted her and before she could react, his hot sweet breath was beating down the side of her neck. Her skin prickled as her breathing accelerated. Trying to cast her mind away from his breath, tickling every skin cell on her body all in one sensation, she focused on her breathing. In and out. In and out.

"Did you understand anything I just said?"

His voice snapped her out of her controlled breathing. She tried to remember whatever Scorpius said but she had been too busy controlling her senses. "Er, no?" She tried to make her voice sound cute but she didn't know if it would work. All he did was laugh to himself. Was that good?

"Pack up your things."

Quickly Lily stuffed her books, parchment and quills into her bag, slinging it across her shoulder. She shoved herself away from the table, adjusting her robes before turning to Scorpius who was patiently waiting with his hands tucked behind his back. "Are we going to dinner now?"

"And not finish your essay?" The smirk that often plagued her mind crept across his face. "We're going on a field trip." He led the way from the library and through the corridors of the castle, cutting behind a tapestry to a secret passageway until they stopped in front of a gargoyle. Scorpius tapped his wand on the palm of the stone gargoyle and it sprang to life.

"Scorpius Malfoy and Lily Potter to see Professor Creevey." The gargoyle nodded and once again it was still. All of a sudden, a staircase erupted out of the floor, spiraling with a gigantic eagle that stretched its wings out. "Hop on!" Scorpius said following his own words. Lily did too and had to hold onto Scorpius so she didn't fall.

They continued to circle until a set of tall oak doors could be spotted and the staircase froze. Following closely on Scorpius' tail, Lily walked to the oak doors and waited while he knocked. Instantly, the door creaked open and from inside, Professor Creevey's voice said "Come in." Sending a reassuring smile back at Lily, Scorpius pushed the door aside and stepped inside.

The Headmaster's office was amazing. Round in shape, the office was surrounded with glass cabinets filled with different cameras. All shapes and sizes were packed along shelves with photos too. Some moved while some remained still – Muggle photos. On the walls were portraits, past headmasters and headmistresses; there were empty ones, sleeping ones and portraits that were staring right back at Lily, smiling. Beside the windows, behind a desk cluttered with piles of parchment, Professor Creevey looked up from his work and smiled.

"Ah, hello!" Rising from his chair, the Headmaster swirled his wand around and two armchairs appeared in front of his desk. "Please sit." Obeying, Scorpius and Lily moved towards the desk. Lily couldn't believe she was in the Headmaster's office. When she was seated, Professor Creevey clapped his hands and leaned forward on his desk.

"What can I do for you two?"

Scorpius sat up in his seat, leaning forward into the sunshine penetrating from the window. The sunlight reflected his white blond hair, turning into the purest of whites."We were wondering Professor, if we could talk to Professor Dumbledore. Lily is struggling with her Potions essay and I think it would help her."

Out of the corner of Lily's eye, she could see one portrait, a man with midnight blue robes, a tall pointed hat with stars and moons, half mooned spectacles almost falling off his crooked nose and a long white beard that was tucked into his belt, woke up, beaming as he suddenly became very interested with the conversation.

A smile beamed across the Headmaster's lips and he immediately jumped from his desk, whipping his cloak round theatrically and whisking himself off to the portraits. With a nod to the old man in his chair, Professor Creevey cleared his throat. "I think he would very much enjoy the company. However don't get distracted by his stories. They are amazing but leave you with plenty to think about."

Frantically Lily took her quill and parchment from her bag, beaming at Scorpius. She couldn't believe she was about to talk to Professor Dumbledore – the Headmaster who influenced her father so much, the namesake of her brother. It was unbelievable.

"I'm going to head down to dinner. Take your time."

As the door clicked behind Professor Creevey, Scorpius jumped out of his seat to face Dumbledore. "Hello Professor Dumbledore. It's nice to speak to you again. I was hoping you could help Lily with her Potions." How did Scorpius know Dumbledore? Shyly, Lily climbed out of her chair, shuffling forward to stand behind Scorpius. It was when she arrived that the old man spoke.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy and Miss Potter, it is a pleasure to meet the youngest Potter. Now I believe I can be of service to you. An essay?"

It took a while before Lily found her voice. The catch in her throat was a mixture of awe and nerves. However, Scorpius took control, leaving Lily to pull her chair towards the portrait so she could write. "Lily has an essay for Professor Trigg on the twelve uses of dragon's blood. And if my Chocolate Frog card isn't a lie, you were at the head of the discovery."

"Ah, you are too kind Mr Malfoy. But I believe I can be of some help. Miss Potter, you may ask your questions." Dumbledore pushed his half-mooned glasses up his crooked nose, resting his hands in his lap. His eyes pierced Lily and she looked to her half written essay, formulating her first question with her quill poised above her parchment.

###

"I can't believe I just had a conversation with Professor Dumbledore. The Professor Dumbledore. My dad idolises him. Scorpius, you are amazing." Without processing anything, Lily bounced into Scorpius' unsuspecting arms, pressing herself closer to his body and reaching up on tiptoes. His act of kindness was warming to Lily.

It took a second before Lily felt his arms wrap around her. However reality crashed down and Scorpius was pulling her away. Her heels touched the floor once more and Lily took a cautionary step back.

"Lily it was nothing. Anyway it wasn't the real Dumbledore, just his portrait." The pair continued walking through the corridors, Lily relying on Scorpius because she had no idea where she was in the castle. "Come on. With any luck, there will still be dinner on the table."

But Lily's feet planted on the floor. Scorpius turned around and Lily met him directly in his bluey-grey eyes. A small smile crept across her face and Lily could see the corners of his lips turning up too. He had been so kind to her. There was no reason for it logically. Of course Lily imagined her and Scorpius, boyfriend and girlfriend growing up and old together. Delusional as she was, Lily knew that they would only be dreams. So she tore her eyes from his, staring at the floor.

"Thankyou," she mumbled.

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_Author's Note: I hope you like this chapter; I only just finished it but I know how the next one is going to play out already. This chapter shows the start of a secondary plot line. Can anyone guess what it is?_

**Remember to review because it is a great motivator. I want to hear your thoughts and answer any questions you may have.**

_Enjoy!_


	5. Blue Hands

_Dad,_

_Hogwarts is amazing. I still can't believe I'm finally here. _

_I hope everything is good at home. It must be so quiet without all of us running around and creating chaos for you. And I bet you managed to actually get some work done instead of staying long hours at the Ministry._

_I love it here. It's everything I expected and more. Every day brings something new and I'm forever getting lost in this castle. Someone should really make a map. My lessons are fun. Herbology is fun, Uncle Neville – I mean Professor Longbottom – gets so excited about all the different plants and keeps embarrassing Sebastian. And Defence Against the Dark Arts is easy. My teacher likes to tell me every lesson that I'm just like you._

_I hate to tell you though that I hate Potions. I'm terrible at it. I'm dropping it at the first chance I get. It makes no sense. But at least Professor Trigg isn't making my life a living hell like Snape, he's actually really supportive even though I keep blowing up my cauldron._

_Oh and don't worry. The boys are behaving well. James has only annoyed Alice twenty times this week and Albus only got one detention with Scorpius; they won't tell me why though._

_I miss you. But Easter is coming up! I'll be home soon._

_Love you lots and lots._

_Your Lily._

_P.S. I need a new cauldron. **I'm sorry!**_

Scanning her letter for the last time, Lily folded up the parchment stuffing it in an envelope, closing it with a seal. On the front, Lily scribbled _Dad _on the front and then looked around. The Owlery was freezing at this time of night. With no windows, the breeze was free to chill Lily's bones to ice.

"AJ!" Craning her neck, Lily spotted the tawny owl flecked with white, his head under his wing. "AJ!" Her hands moved to her hips. The owl seemed to be ignoring Lily. "Albus Junior, come down here now!" With a chilling wisp of wind, AJ ruffled his feathers, his head poking out of his wind. He swooped down and perched on Lily's shoulder, nipping at her ear aggressively.

"Okay, I'm sorry AJ. I don't mean to wake you up. I just need you to send a letter home." In approval, AJ clicked his beak and rubbed his feathery head against Lily's cheek. "Hold your leg out." From the corner of her eye, Lily saw AJ's outstretched leg and fastened the letter. She walked to the closest window and took AJ off her shoulder to face her.

"I need you to take this straight home to Dad. Oh and don't tell Albus I borrowed you." AJ chirped sleepily, stretching his wings out to gather air and then he leapt off Lily's arm, his talons digging in sharp. He jumped out of the window and glided away from the Owlery.

Soon he had disappeared from the night sky.

Wrapping her dressing gown around her body, Lily left the Owlery, minding the bird droppings. Her footsteps echoed through the castle. It was eerily quiet tonight and there was no one in the corridors, not one prefect. As she passed the library though, Lily heard footsteps, running towards her. Worrying, Lily tried to find something to hide behind. But there were no pillars or suits of armour.

Around the corner, Lily's mystery roommate came running, nearly colliding with Lily. "I'm sorry! I've got to go." She had chestnut hair that barely reached her shoulders and brown eyes filled with worry and mystery.

"Hey. You're Phoebe aren't you?"

The girl quickly dug her hands in her pockets and nodded.

"I'm Lily Potter." At that moment, when Lily's hand was outstretched, another set of footsteps rumbled heavily down the corridor and the pair froze. It sounded like Phoebe swore under her breath. Within seconds, Mr Gumpy was running around the corner.

Mr Gumpy was a friend of Professor Creevey and the caretaker of Hogwarts. Rumour has it, he was a Squib who was lost in the Austrian forests when Professor Creevey rescued him from a pack of ravenous werewolves and to pay off his debt, Mr Gumpy now works as caretaker. He was sour to everyone but her father had explained that many Squibs forced to be in a magical environment envy so badly they become bitter.

This evening, Mr Gumpy was sporting a fluffy purple dressing gown, clearly not meant to be seen by others. However it seemed that he was trying a new haircare product because his entire head was electric blue and seemed to be swelling bigger with every second. And by the guilty look on her face, Phoebe was to blame.

"Ha! I've caught you in the act." His hands gripped tightly on both Lily and Phoebe. Under his breath, Lily heard him mutter, "Dennis will have to do something this time." As he tugged hard on their arms, both the girls pulled free.

"I don't know what you are talking about Mr Gumpy," Lily said, spinning to face him with her hands on her hips, her wand within reach. Behind her, Phoebe remained silent.

His eyes widened in delight. "There's no way you can wriggle out of this one. I've caught you running away from the scene of the crime." His arms flailed above his head dramatically, gesturing to his swelling head. "I imagine Professor Creevey will give you detentions for the rest of the year, pranking a member of staff."

With a quick glance back to wink at Phoebe, Lily faced Mr Gumpy, who like everyone else was considerably higher than her. "We were sending letters in the Owlery. And if I'm not mistaken, that's nowhere near your quarters Mr Gumpy. And you have no proof. You caught us in the corridor."

If possible, Lily imagined steam would eject from the caretaker's ears. Swishing his dressing gown around, Mr Gumpy huffed away, probably to find a member of staff to return his head, which was bigger than a pumpkin now, back to normal.

"Sorry," Lily called out, just before Mr Gumpy disappeared and his footsteps faded.

From behind her, Phoebe stepped forward, shuffling her feet with hands still buried in her pockets. "Thanks," she said quietly, staring at the floor awkwardly.

"Let me guess, you added the potion to the water." Lily raised her eyebrows at Phoebe who chanced a look at Lily and smiled, nodding. "Next time add it to his shampoo or something like that. Therefore you can make sure there is a long distance between you and him before it happens."

"It sounds like you have experience in pranking?" The two of them had automatically started back to Gryffindor Tower and out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Phoebe looking questionably at her.

Letting out a light laugh, Lily ran her fingers through her hair. "I have two brothers that have made it their life mission to humiliate me at every opportunity. Once they spiked my pumpkin juice with a Sleeping Draught and when I woke up, I was tied to a tree with a rope, twenty feet off the ground." Both of them laughed, Lily remembering how angry her mother was.

"Do you have brothers or sisters?"

"No, I'm an only child. My parents are Muggles."

Together they joined the staircase and within a minute they were facing the Fat Lady. "Stupendous," Lily said and with a yawning grumble, the portrait swung open. There were a few students in the common room. Lily froze when she saw her brother in the corner.

"Are you coming up Lily?" Phoebe asked a few steps ahead of Lily. Her hands were still buried in her pocket and in the light, Lily noticed dark circles around her eyes, clearly from lack of sleeping.

"I'll catch you up," Lily said as her gaze found its way back to James, huddled by the window. "But you may want to wash those hands. And wear gloves next time." Waiting for a laughing Phoebe to leave for the dormitories, Lily wandered over to her brother, sitting opposite.

As she sat down, he looked up from his book. His glasses were on the tip of his nose and his eyes seemed to be fighting to stay open. A weak smile crossed his face and he dropped his book on the table beside him. "Hi Lils," he mumbled, stifling a yawn.

"No offence James but I think you've looked better."

"Ha, ha!" he murmured sarcastically. "It's these bloody O.W.L.s. They are draining the life out of me. I haven't pranked anyone in a fortnight." Lazily, his head fell against the window and Lily watched him stare out onto the Quidditch pitch in the distance. "And Quidditch training has never been worse. I'm telling ya Lils, growing up is no fun at all."

Gently, she pulled the glasses of his face, folding them into his open palm. "I think you should call it a night. Anyway when did grades become so important to you?"

"It's the only way I'll get Alice."

"Still chasing?" Lily asked with a questioning raise of her eyebrow. James' only response was a disappointing shake of his head. "You're amazing and one day she'll realise the real you. I promise." Standing up, Lily kissed the top of her brother's head and smiled. "Sleep!" she ordered and for a second, Lily felt like her mother.

When she reached her bed, she curled up into a ball under the covers and barely exchanged ten words with Phoebe before she fell into a dream-ridden sleep of home.

* * *

_Author's Note: This is just a short chapter to introduce Lily's mystery roommate Phoebe who will later play a big part in Lily's life. I'm so excited for this friendship because it will change everything. But not all at once. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!_

_Next chapter due Christmas Day! Watch this space!_


	6. Splash!

"Birthday bundles!"

Before Lily could register her surroundings and open her sleepy eyes, two large weights squished her, knocking the air from her lungs. Her eyes snapped opened instantly, all traces of weariness gone and at first, the world was a blur of shapes and colours. Taking gulps of air, the shapes focused to form James and Albus, mischievously smiling bright.

"What the hell!?" she screamed, pulling her arms out from under her covers and squatting her brothers persistently. Eventually they moved to the vacant part of the bed and Lily could sit up.

"Happy birthday!" they chorused. With a glance at each other, the two boys, who were significantly bigger than Lily, crushed her in a back-breaking hug. As a clump of limbs, the three of them fell back and one of the boys banged their head on the wall.

Releasing Lily, Albus rubbed the back of his head with a sour look while James simply smirked at him. "Breakfast is ready Lils," James said, kissing the top of Lily's head kindly. "And again, happy birthday!" As he climbed off the bed, Lily watched James give Albus a hard shove which caused him to fall off.

"HEY!" Albus cried, racing to his feet whilst rubbing his backside in an unpleasant manner. Like one of Uncle George's Famous Fire Busters, James shot out of Lily's bedroom, his footsteps sounding like rumbles of thunder. Albus was quick on his heels, pausing to say "Happy birthday Lils!" before he raced after her older brother.

Waiting for their footsteps to silence, Lily flung her head back on her pillow. Surely with it being her birthday, she should be able to get up at whatever time she wished. However James was a little kid at heart and enjoyed festivities, even if they weren't for him.

Her door was wide open and soon the scents of breakfast started wafting around her, tempting her to leave her warm bed. With a defeated sigh, Lily climbed out of bed, located her dressing gown in amidst the mess of her bedroom and headed to breakfast, her socks muffling her footsteps. Outside the kitchen door, voices rose and Lily paused to listen.

"I asked you to wake her up gently." Her mother's stern voice made Lily smile. She knew that her bark was worse than her bite and although she sympathised with her only daughter, Ginny thought it was a rite of passage to be at the tail end of every prank her brothers ever pulled. Just like her.

"It was James' idea to jump on her."

"But I'm in peak physical condition where as you Al, have been sneaking to the kitchens at Hogwarts too often and it's starting to show around your waistband. I noticed you stopped wearing belts." There was a scraping of wood against stone and Lily pushed the door open to find her two brothers wrestling playfully before their father, who had buried himself behind the Daily Prophet, shot them both silent glare and turned his attention to Lily.

"There's the birthday girl!" His smile stretched wide and his eyes twinkled. With a quick kiss to her mother, Lily seated herself opposite James, on her father's right hand side. She leaned over to kiss her dad as he folded his paper up.

The smells that had tempted Lily upstairs were simply mouth-watering. Across the table were all kinds of treats, Lily's favourites. Chocolate fudge brownies that she was only allowed to have for breakfast on her birthday. Chocolate chip pancakes stacked high. Cupcakes decorated with piped white icing that formed lilies. Jugs filled with pumpkin juice and Lily's favourite, chocolate milk.

"Tuck in," Ginny declared, placing a plate of sizzling bacon and eggs on the table and seating next to Lily.

Like normal, James and Albus fought over the last piece of bacon – which Harry quickly stole with a wink to Lily when his sons were preoccupied. Lily had managed to get a milk moustache with her first gulp of chocolate milk and soon enough, everyone was leaning back in their chairs, full to the brim. Lazily, Ginny flicked her wand and the empty plates floated other to the sinks where they began to clean themselves.

"Do you want to open your presents now?" Harry asked, his hands resting on his flat stomach. Like Albus, Harry also ate so much food. Her mum claimed he was making up for all the nights he had to go to bed starving when he lived with his aunt and uncle.

Lily shook her head, her hair falling out of it ponytail to hang lifelessly in front of her face. "I think I'll have a shower first." Finishing the last of her glass, Lily kissed both her mum and dad on the tops of their heads.

"Happy birthday Lils," they said in unison. Casting a quick glance behind her, Lily flashed a smile and darted upstairs.

###

She looked at herself in the mirror. There wasn't much different about her but should there be? Her golden brown eyes were wide with excitement but they didn't seem to be hiding any wisdom. Her smile still stretched across her cheeks, dimples appearing. Maybe being twelve wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Running her brush through her red hair, Lily pulled it into a high ponytail and felt the ends of her hair tickle her back familiarly. As she made her way to her wardrobe, Lily sighed in despair. All she saw in front of her was a pile of clothes. After a quick rummage, Lily found a pair of black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a black cross in the middle. She dressed in a rush, mentally cursing herself for having little to fill her bikini top with before running downstairs.

Her dad was sitting in his favourite armchair, the Muggle TV switched on showing the news. Apparently the Muggle prime minster was in the hospital with a bladder infection. If that was all the Muggles could report, Lily was glad she was a witch.

"Oh," Harry said, realising his daughter was lingering at the door. "Come and sit with me darling." There was an essence of sadness in his voice.

Without thinking about it, Lily moved toward the armchair and squeezed next to her dad. Usually she could fit in beside him; they had always sat like that ever since she could remember. She was a daddy's girl at heart. But now she couldn't fit like she used to so she turned to the side and rested her legs across his at a right angle, dangling them off the arm.

"I guess you've grown a bit since we last did this," he remarked, laughing into his cup of coffee. A smile lingered on his face but his typically bright green eyes weren't ablaze with their usual spark. Darkness had replaced them.

"Dad, why are you so sad?"

Resting her head on his shoulder, Lily felt him sigh heavily, her head bobbing slightly in time with his chest. She nudged her dad in the ribs and he chuckled to himself, easing the tension. But still the sadness was evident in his body language. "Tell me," Lily murmured.

"I think I'm beginning to realise that my little girl won't be little for much longer." Instinctively, his arms curved around her small frame, pulling Lily as close to her father's chest as possible. "The boys were always going to be reckless and mischievous, '_growing up and breaking hearts'_ as your mother puts it. But I always hoped and prayed that you'd never leave. Never grow."

Lily pushed herself up, her palm resting on his dad's heartbeat. "Dad," she said sternly, looking him directly in the eye. "I think I'm just a genetically small person so I doubt you'll have to worry about me growing much."

"You know what I mean Lilykins," Harry joked, a genuine smile breaking across his face.

Leaning closer, Lily kissed her dad on the cheek, her mouth tickled with his slight stubble. As she moved her lips to his ear, she whispered, "I'll always be your little girl!" Small dimples appeared as she beamed at her dad before yelling to everyone that it was time for presents.

###

It was her birthday for Merlin's sake.

Much to Lily's annoyance, her mother had ordered her to tidy her room up a bit. At least to the point where the floor could be spotted. It turned out to be a bigger task then Lily anticipated. Wishing she could use just a little bit of magic for assistance, Lily located all her shoes, throwing them into the bottom of her wardrobe before folding her clothes untidily and dropping them in a pile next to her shoes.

In retrospect, Lily should have gotten drawers.

As she was adding the last jumper to her mountain of a pile, her bedroom swung on its hinges as if it had been kicked forcefully. In all her dirty blonde haired glory stood Dominique, her hands on her hips and a wide smile stretching across her face.

"Happy birthday!" she squealed before throwing her body onto Lily's in an embrace, knocking her legs out from under her. Subsequently the pair lost their balance and fell luckily on Lily's bed. "You're finally twelve!"

"Can't ... Breathe ... Again!" Lily gasped.

Standing straight, Dominique smoothed down her black tutu-styled dress and helped her cousin off the bed. There was a rumbling from downstairs. Mischievously, Lily and Dominique smiled at each other. The family were here.

And when the family comes, that means the _whole_ family comes. Upon Lily's arrival downstairs, she was passed into hugs from Uncle Bill –who lifted her off her feet-, Aunt Fleur –who spoke words of French that meant nothing to Lily but sounded beautiful all the same-, Victoire and Louis;

Uncle George –who physically spun her around as if she was a feather- , Aunt Angelina –who was too busy keeping an eye on Fred and the food-, Fred and Roxy;

Uncle Percy –who hugged her partially while directing his wand at a floating quill as it scribbled in a piece of parchment, Aunt Audrey –who scolded her husband and told him to put his work away-, Molly and Lucy;

Uncle Charlie – who still managed to pick her up and spin her above his head, pretending she was a fearful dragon-;

Uncle Ron –who just messed Lily's ponytail up-, Aunt Hermione –who was keeping an eye on her husband and the food-, Rose and Hugo;

Grandpa –who offered Lily five mints in the space of one hug- and Grandma –who continuously offered her assistance to Ginny and Hermione who were preparing the food-;

It seemed to takes years to get around her entire family before Lily fell on the sofa, already exhausted and it was barely midday. Closing her eyes, Lily felt the sofa dip next to her and she knew Dom had caught up with her – Grandma had been fussing over her hair which was styling a messed up look.

Outside the room, Lily could hear the noise and was thankful for a little bit of peace. With a small yawn, she brought her knees up and curled up into a ball. She had hoped for a small nap.

But of course, that was out of the question as it was her birthday.

"Are you really going to spend your birthday asleep?" The whisper was soft and kind. With fluttering eyelashes, Lily looked up to see the familiar smirk of Scorpius Malfoy. His hair was messed up unconventionally and his stormy grey eyes were twinkling. "Happy birthday," he said sweetly.

Quickly, Lily got to her feet, sighing deeply when she noticed the extreme height difference between the pair. Nevertheless, she hugged him tightly, feeling his chin rest on the top of her head. His arms wrapped around her protectively and Lily could feel her heart beat faster. Thankfully, there was a knock at the door and Lily ran off to answer, shaking off the goose bumps Scorpius gave her.

"LILY!" It was Phoebe, holding a massive box in her arms with her head popping up over the top. Standing aside, Lily closed the door behind Phoebe and hugged her as soon as she had put the box with a bow down.

"I thought you couldn't come, Pheebs?"

"I wasn't about to let a little thing like a grounding keep me from your birthday Lils. So I snuck out and caught the Knight Bus here. I'll deal with my parents after I have some fun." Phoebe pulled away and picked the box up again, passing it to Lily.

"Is there a Lily behind that present?" Recognising the voice, Lily popped up from behind the box to smile brightly at her godfather.

"Uncle Neville!" she squealed, pausing for a moment to put the box before running to hug her Herbology professor as he dusted the soot from his cloak. Her legs dangled as he lifted her off the ground. But when her feet were back on the ground, he tapped his body repeatedly, feeling out the contents of his pockets.

With a frown, he looked down at Lily, still feeling his pockets. "I think Seb has your present. Or did I give it to Franklin?"

"Or did you leave it on the kitchen table?" The oldest of the Longbottom children, Alicia, was smiling cheekily behind her father, leaning against the door frame. Her light brown hair was cut to her shoulders and her black maxi dress tucked in at the waistband, giving her curves Lily could only envy. In her hand was a little box wrapped in ribbon. She passed it to her father along with a card before looking up the stairs.

"Alice?" James' head appeared, a smile stretching across his face.

"Oh Merlin!" As quick as a flash, Alicia had picked her skirt up and was running through the house away from Lily's older brother. Unfortunately, he couldn't take the hint and began chasing her, calling her name out.

Neville Longbottom just rolled his eyes and passed Lily his gift. She thanked him gratefully and kissed his cheek. Along with the box, Lily took them into the dining room where all her presents were, adding to the pile before heading to the kitchen for a drink.

At that moment, emerging from the fireplace coughing and spluttering, Ariana May stepped into the Potter's home. Lily ran across the room, ignoring her mother's shriek to slow down and hugged her best friend. They hadn't seen each other since they left Hogwarts – Ariana had been on holiday with her dad and arrived back yesterday.

Standing back, Lily realised Ariana was much tanner than usual, making the chocolate brown eyes to seem like liquid. Her long brown hair was pulled into a bun and she was wearing a brightly coloured, patterned dress.

From behind her back, Ariana revealed a glittery silver bag and held it out to Lily. It was much heavier than Lily expected. "Happy birthday!" she said excitedly and the pair of them, moved towards the living room, stopping briefly to drop Ariana's gift off with the others.

"Where have you been then?" Lily asked instantly.

"Oh you know, just the Caribbean Islands!" The way she said it so leisurely, like it was no big deal, which for shy Ariana was just how she liked things, made Lily's mouth literally drop. "It was really hot there though."

"It's always a shame that. I absolutely hate going to another country and the weather is too nice." The pair looked at each other and laughed as they entered the living room.

Dominique's eyes lit up with excitement as the pair walked in. "Ariana!" Pouncing off the sofa like a panther, she quickly took Ariana up in her arms, followed closely by Phoebe. As all four of them settled on the sofa, Ariana was bombarded with questions about the Caribbean. It seemed like primarily, Ariana sat on the beach reading books while her dad was in meetings.

After a while, Lily's mother poked her head into the living room, strands of coppery hair falling out of its headband. "Lily, everyone is waiting for you outside." Her mouth was open to say more but Lily could hear her grandmother calling for her mother from the kitchen. Apparently the potatoes were bubbling. With an exhausted smile, Ginny blew the hair from her face and left.

Clapping enthusiastically, Dominique jumped up. It seemed that someone had filled her with an Excitement Potion.

"Let's get this party started girls."

###

It was a whirlwind of conversations for Lily. Everyone was outside, her dad hovering over the BBQ and Uncle Ron hovering over her father. From the distance, Lily thought she saw her uncle drooling over the ribs. The females were drinking some disgusting Muggle wine -which Lily had tried once and spat it out instantly - around the table on the patio, most likely talking about gossip.

Her brothers and male cousins plus Scorpius, Kaleb and the boys from Gryffindor in Lily's year were up in the air on the edge of the forest, flying high in a brutal game of Quidditch. She had wanted to play too; it was her birthday and she thought she should be able to do whatever she wanted. But the boys sent her away.

Instead, Lily lay on the grass of the hillside, watching the Quidditch match through squinted eyes. The glare of the sun was warming on Lily's skin. Around her, Ariana, Dominique, Phoebe and Rainbow (Dominique was glad Violet couldn't come), were lounging in the sun too, admiring the forest's beauty or in Dominique and Phoebe's cases, the boys.

"Look at Longbottom fly!" Dominique remarked, propping herself on her elbows to get a better look.

"What one?" Phoebe said, her eyes wide with alertness as she scanned the sky for either Sebastian or Franklin. With a quick look at Ariana, Lily rolled her eyes, causing them both to silently giggle.

"Sebastian of course!"

It seemed to Lily that Phoebe seemed a bit sad by this news. Did she like Sebastian too? She opened her mouth to ask but thought better of it, sealing her lips and letting her head fall back onto the grass. But she couldn't rest for long before the sun dried her throat out and she started walking back to the house with an order of drinks for all the them.

In the kitchen, Lily's little cousin, the only one apart from Louis who was younger than her, Lucy was perched on the countertop. In her lap was Molly's Persian cat, Pookie that seemed to like Lucy a lot better than Molly. "Lily!" she squealed, kissing her cousin a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday!"

"Are you having a good time?" Lily asked, jumping up to sit opposite her cousin on the countertop. With a lean stretch, Pookie pawed his way into Lily's lap, purring gently as Lily ran her hands through his fur and behind his ears.

"I'm waiting for cake," Lucy beamed, pulling her long, bright red, plait across her shoulder to fiddle with.

Spotting a Butterbeer, Lily reached over and popped the cap, gulping half the bottle down in one. "I think we're having a BBQ first Lulu." She licked the foam that rose up from the bottle, winking at her cousin who sipped her pumpkin juice jealously. "Where are the rest of the girls?"

"By the swimming pool. They were talking about boys! Urgh!" A smirk crept up on Lily's lips as she watched her baby cousin pretend to throw up into her cup. One day, they would all have boyfriends, hopefully and Lily doubted her cousin would feel like throwing up every time she talked about them.

The door to the garden swung open and Lily nearly fell off the counter at the sight. Sunlight streamed into the room, illuminating the bright grey eyes that made Lily's childish heart melt. His hair was windswept and messy, the light making it seem white instead of blond. For a moment, as she watched his lips move, Lily forgot how to breathe. And then she realise Scorpius was talking to her.

"Excuse me?" she asked, embarrassedly. The blush spreading across her cheeks was burning brightly so Lily ducked her head. But with her hair in a ponytail, the usual curtains of hair didn't hide her.

"The napkins?" he said, stepping out of the beams of light but closer to Lily.

As Lily focussed her breathing, she ran her hand down the spine of Pookie, searching the kitchen for napkins. "Over there!" Lucy squealed pointing to a bowl of potatoes that was hiding the napkins from view. Taking a few strides to fetch them, Scorpius thanked them both and left the kitchen into the garden. Lily sighed deeply while Lucy pretended to throw up into her cup again.

"Oh yeah." Scorpius appeared once more, his body curving around the door. "The BBQ is ready!"

###

It had been one of the best birthdays ever. All her family and friends were here. Her dad had excelled himself with the BBQ; this time she was sure she caught Uncle Ron dribbling over the ribs. Everyone was laughing, happy smiles never leaving their faces. Blankets and cushions were laid out on the grass and even the adults grouped around in a big circle with all the food and drink in the middle.

Not a lot of time passed before the food was demolished and Lily's mother had whipped out her wand to clear the plates up as Uncle Ron moaned about someone taking the last rib. At this, Albus left the circle very quickly, licking his lips.

Afterwards, everyone gravitated to the pool. No one went in yet as they had just eaten but Lily and Ariana sat with their feet dipped in. Her older female cousins were grouped around Victoire who was talking about moving in with Teddy and her life now that she had finished Hogwarts. Hopefully, Teddy would be turning up later but the Wizengamot Court called a session today and he had to attend.

On the other side of the pool, James, Scorpius, Kaleb, Albus, Franklin and Fred were blowing up inflatables for the pool. There was a crocodile, a small boat, two rubber rings and a tube you sat inside and spun. Little Louis was there too, trying to blow up his armbands until he turned his cheeks bright red. This was when Scorpius stepped in and had them inflated within seconds.

Instantly Lily felt herself falling into thoughts of Scorpius and quickly snapped herself out of it with a splash of water.

The shrill laughter of Dominique drew her attention. There she was with Phoebe and Rainbow, turning on her Veela charm as all the Gryffindor boys were crowding around them. I raised an eyebrow to Ariana who just shrugged, going back to splashing gently with her feet.

Taking another scan of her surroundings, someone was missing. Lucy was running around somewhere with a training broom that at the most, floated one foot up in the air but that wasn't who was missing.

"Have you seen Hugo?" Lily asked her best friend

The two of them arched their backs to look behind, spotting a small redheaded boy. Rolling onto her front, Lily waved him over. He pulled himself to his feet, his gaze vague and distant, showing sadness and longing. Something was wrong.

"Are you alright?" she asked as he pulled his socks off and rolled his jeans up to dunk his feet in next to Lily's.

He shrugged. But by the way his shoulders dipped depressively and the energy seemed to leak out of his body until it was a weak, hollow shell, Lily knew something was up and she wasn't about to give up on Hugo. Nudging him playfully, she looked up at him reassuringly, worry flooding her eyes.

"I'm just tired," he mumbled, leaning back with his arms behind his head. Abruptly though, he sat up and Lily noticed that everyone seemed to be looking at her and then at the house.

Twisting in her place, Lily watched as her mother walked towards her with her aunts surrounding her. But they didn't stop Lily spotting Ginny's illuminated smile, beaming with pride at her. Everyone gathered around her and with a hand from Hugo and Ariana, Lily got to her feet, a smile tempting her lips.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw her brothers and Scorpius and Kaleb crept to her side suspiciously. Also Hugo moved further away from her, moving to the other side of Ariana. But Lily was too focussed on her mother to be distracted.

The cake arrived and her aunts parted so Lily could step forward. It was a chocolate cake, her favourite, with white lilies decorating the edge of a moving picture. There Lily smiled in her Christmas Weasley jumper when she was two – the day she said her first word 'love'. Her jumper was too big for her and every time the Lily waved, the long sleeves would fall down. Candles burned in the spaces between the flowers, twelve of them.

Her family broke out in an extremely loud rendition of 'Happy Birthday'. Uncle George seemed to have drank too much because he was singing a beat behind everyone else. At the back of the group, Lily swore she saw a tear trickle down her father's cheek so she blew him a kiss which he caught and placed it to his cheek.

When Uncle George had stopped howling, Lily took a deep breath and extinguished the candles with one breath. All of her family and friends clapped enthusiastically and this time, Lily was sure she saw a tear fall down her father's cheek.

Suddenly, the ground fell out from under her and six sets of hands were fixed to her limbs. "What the-." Twisting around, she saw Scorpius holding her right shoulder, smirking mischievously. She began shaking her body, trying to get out of their grip. All Scorpius did was give her a wink. Hands were removed and Lily realised she was airborne.

Just as she was about to scream, she landed in the pool, falling under the water. Mistakenly, she took a gulp of air and choked on the water that filled her lungs. But she managed to get to the surface, coughing and spluttering her lungs empty, before facing Scorpius, Kaleb, Albus, Franklin, Fred and James who were lined up with wide grins stretching their faces as they laughed hysterically. It seemed that everyone but Lily was laughing.

Looking down into the water as she skulled for balance, she realised she was still in her clothes and they were weighing her down. She swam to the side, wanting to get out, and held her hand up. Albus stepped back, shaking his head so Scorpius took hold of her hand, his grip firm yet gentle. Lily braced her feet against the side and with every inch of strength; she pushed off of the wall, pulling Scorpius under water with her.

"I guess I deserved that," he gasped, brushing his white-blond hair up into little tufts. For a moment, Lily found herself lost in his eyes, his wet eyelashes framing them perfectly before feeling a pressure in her hand and realising she was still holding on to Scorpius. She quickly let go and dipped her head underwater to hide her blush.

It seemed that the pool was officially open as everyone decided to jump in. Faster than a wand movement, James swooped an unsuspecting Alicia into his cradling arms and even though she screamed in protest, shouting various hexes that were useless without her wand, James leaped off the edge, plunging them both into the water. Stripping off elegantly into her bikini, Dominique checked that all the Gryffindor boys were watching before diving gracefully into the water and swimming up to Lily who was laughing as all five boys stood shocked with mouths catching flies. Even Hugo jumped in, thanks to a friendly shove from Kaleb.

Only Ariana didn't jump, deciding to stay at the side and splash the water with her feet.

"Are you not coming in?" Lily asked, swimming up to the wall where Ariana was. With a hand on the wall supporting her, she stripped off into the bikini she had underneath, leaving her soaked clothes in a pile by her best friend.

Ariana shrugged, her feet paddling slowly. "I was in the pool for the majority of my holiday. It's nice to just sit here and watch everyone." Turning in her spot, Lily hoisted herself up onto the side, water dripping off her into a small puddle. From this point of the pool, she could see everyone and it was fun.

"I don't think James is going to catch up with Alice, do you?" Both of them laughed at the prospect. Elegantly, Alice was breast stroking her way through the water, making sure to cause enough splash so James couldn't follow. But he did – having to stop every few seconds to wipe his eyes that were quickly turning red.

From the other side of the pool, there was a loud squeal. "TEDDY!" Victoire was practically jumping out of the pool, looking like a mermaid with her blonde hair that was purer than Dom's dirty blonde hair colour.

Lily quickly flickered her gaze to the house and sure enough, Teddy was running out of the house, his bright blue hair sticking up in all directions. Within seconds, he approached the pool and with a quick wink to Lily, shouted, "CANNONBALL!" Bounding into the air, still in his suit and tie, he curled up into a ball in the air and splashed down into the water, causing a massive ripple effect.

Trying not to choke on the water as she laughed, Lily hopped off the side and swam to Teddy. They hugged and Lily felt even lighter in the water. Now her whole family was here. She was lifted onto his shoulders while he kissed Vic on the lips briefly. Then without warning, Teddy fell back, his hands on Lily's legs so she couldn't jump off and the pair were surrounded by water.

That was it. She didn't think she could handle being in the pool anymore. It was like someone had painted a target on her back and made it a point of dunking her underwater without taking a breath of air before. Making her excuses, Lily climbed out of the pool, picking up a towel to wrap around her.

"Had enough?"

It was Scorpius, just in board shorts with his abdominal muscles exposed. Lily felt her legs turn to jelly and casually leaned against the rail to brace herself. He picked up a towel and ran it through his hair, revealing white locks that stuck up in every direction. And still his abs were on show.

Lily felt herself nod and managed to bring herself back to the conversation. "I don't appreciate being forced under the water continuously," she said light-heartedly. Of course she didn't want Scorpius to take offense to that.

"Lils, you should get inside. You're starting to shiver." Although she wasn't 100% sure she was shivering from the cold water running across her body, she made her way into the house with Scorpius.

"Have you had fun?" he asked as they started up the stairs. Lily nodded happily and was glad Scorpius stored his clothes in Albus' room. Another staircase with him and she would have fainted into his arms. "I'm glad," he said distantly before leaving her in the hallway with his smirk blinding her eyes every time they blinked.

In her bedroom, Lily dropped her towel on the floor and dug around the tall pile of clothes for something comfy to wear. As she shivered in her bikini, she quickly chose an oversized navy jumper that stopped below her bottom, complimenting her hair nicely, pairing it with some black leggings and thick socks. Outside her window, the sun was falling behind the trees at the end of the garden, breaking through in small beams.

She moved to her bathroom, picking up her hairbrush and pulling it through her hair. Trying not to wince too much, she got past the knots before letting it fall over her shoulders. With a quick glance at her reflection, she dropped her hairbrush and left her bedroom.

Opening the door, distracted by the wet towel on the floor, she didn't notice someone was in front of her until she walked directly into them. She fell clumsily, stunned by the human wall.

"Oh my god! Lily, are you alright?" Crouching down beside her, Scorpius looked at her with grey eyes washed with concern and instantly her breathing hitched as she felt his hot breath against her skin. He held his hand out in a gentlemanly fashion and with a shake of her head; Lily took it as she was lifted to her feet.

"That was a surprise!" she murmured, running fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry. I just came to give you a present."

She was a little taken back; it wasn't as if she had expected a present. From the back pocket of his jeans, he produced a box approximately the same size as her hand. It was wrapped in silver paper with an emerald ribbon around it that matched Albus' eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered, giving him a brief smile before staring at the box she held onto so delicately. Normally she would shake and rattle her presents, trying to guess what was inside before opening it. But with her gift from Scorpius, she was afraid to breathe around it.

Slowly, she moved across the hall into the Den. The footsteps behind her told Lily he was following her. The doors to the small terrace were wide open and immediately, Lily felt herself gravitate towards them, leading to her favourite place in the house – the roof garden.

A cool breeze blew through her hair, throwing strands into her face as she leant over the rails overlooking the garden below. Through the trees, the sun was setting, casting an orange glow across the pale blue sky. Lily could see everyone splashing and jumping in the pool, their laughter echoing loudly. Her smile widened.

Everyone was happy. That made Lily happy to see.

"Are you going to open it?"

Lily jumped at Scorpius' voice beside her, having been too engulfed in what was happening below her. Her fingers played with the ribbon, pulling gently to untie it. She tried to keep her breathing even, to unwrap the present slowly but she was nervous with anticipation. He didn't have to get her a present but he did and the little crush she had developed when she was nine made her heart thunder as a velvet box revealed itself under the silver paper.

Popping the lid, there, nestled on a velvet cushion, was a bracelet in the shape of a snake, made of silver with eyes made of brown gemstones that seemed familiar. "It's a Malfoy relic, collecting dust in the attic. When I found it, the eyes reminded me of yours. I checked with my father and he didn't want it so I'm giving it to you."

Lily's mouth dropped. "I can't accept this Scorpius."

"It would just be left in the attic, never seeing the light of day." Taking the box out of Lily's dumbstruck hands, he took the bracelet out and fastened it around Lily's wrist, the fangs of the bearing snake fitting into clips at the tail. And the whole time, as much as Lily wanted to focus on her breathing, all she could focus on was Scorpius' fingers on her skin, leaving tingling sensations where he had touched her.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking up at him and becoming lost in his beautiful grey eyes. Taking a wary step forward, Lily closed the gap between them. She wasn't sure why but she just wanted to be closer to those eyes. It was like she was melting under his gaze, getting weak in the knees.

"Lily! There's some cake waiting for you downstairs." Her little cousin Lucy had burst onto the roof garden, skipping happily with the remains of a chocolate cake around her lips. With a quick smile to Scorpius, who looked confused and distant, she let Lucy pull her into the house and down the stairs.

But her thoughts of him never left her. As she touched the snake wrapped around her wrist, the biggest smile of the day played upon her lips. It had definitely been the best birthday ever.

* * *

_Author's Note: Apologies for the lateness but I was too busy enjoying Christmas. This is a very long chapter for you all and I hope it'll satisfy you because I have exams to prepare for now and the next won't be published until after the exams which should be the middle of January. Anyway, Merry Christmas and as a present, please review with your thoughts :D_


	7. Who's Harming Hugo?

The walk back from the Quidditch pitch was quick and brisk. Everyone wanted to get back into the warm castle where burning fireplaces were waiting to welcome them, after spending over two freezing hours watching Slytherin and Ravenclaw battle it out in the first game of the year. During the trek up the grounds, Lily kept her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, her elbows linked with Ariana's and Dominique's.

"I'm surprised it didn't end quicker," Dominique remarked. "It was obvious that Slytherin were better prepared for the match. Especially Percy!" Her coy voice was expected whenever the topic of boys came up. Instinctively her Veela charm would flare up.

"Isn't he Scorpius' cousin?" Ariana asked, raising just one eyebrow which none of them could do. Once Lily had spent an entire Charms lesson trying and Professor Flitwick actually stopped class to make sure she was alright.

Both Lily and Dominique nodded. Percy Higgs and his sister Eve were cousins of Scorpius and usually they spent holidays together, seeing as their mothers were very close. Percy was also Keeper for the Slytherin team and was in his sixth year, although he didn't look like it.

"He's just so tall and strong and muscular!" Dominique squealed, reaching a pitch probably only accessible to Veelas. In response, Lily and Ariana just rolled their eyes in unison.

To tell the truth, Lily hadn't been watching a lot of the actual game. Sometimes she would check in with the score, give Albus, who was a Chaser, a loud cheer with Ariana who became very aggressive about Quidditch, shouting examples of such foul language that the whole crowd seemed to take a step back. Honestly, Lily focused her attention on the pale-faced Slytherin Seeker, hovering above everyone else. It was hard not to when he looked amazing with his hair in the wind and his grey eyes alight with adrenaline.

Shaking away the distracting thoughts of Scorpius, Lily hurried her step, practically pulling Dom and Ariana behind her. They quickly reached the castle and engulfed themselves in the warmth. Quickly it became too much and Lily unravelled the scarf from around her neck.

"Ari, are you up for a game of Wizard's Chess?" Already Dominique was pulling off her layers. Underneath her cloak that was hanging over her arm she wore thick thermal leggings with big, black boots and an oversized sweatshirt for the Harpies. Enviably by Lily, the clothes hugged her cousin's newly formed curves.

Apparently this hadn't gone unnoticed by the male population of Hogwarts. Dominique had received quite a lot of attention from the opposite gender and she was loving it. Her school skirt was hitching higher and another button became undone this year. Sometimes she didn't even have to use her Veela charm.

Ariana shrugged, pulling her gloves off. Hopping onto the moving staircases, the three of them headed towards the Gryffindor common room. "You do know that I'll just beat you again, right Dom?" Ariana teased with a wink.

"That was one time Ariana. Trust me it won't happen again!" A smirk planted itself on Dom's lips.

"I like your optimism Weasley!"

"It's a shame I don't like your attitude May!"

Blowing out a breath, Lily pushed the pair away from each other. "Save it for the chess pieces." As the current staircase halted for a second, Lily hopped off, leaning on the stone archway casually. "I've got to get a book for Potions. I'll see you later." Blowing a few air kisses, she ducked into the empty corridor.

Even as she walked away, the echoes of her two best friends squabbling could still be heard.

The library was practically silent – what with everyone being at the Quidditch game. Madam Hazel was busy behind her desk, shuffling random pieces of parchments. A few students were scattered around the desks, making the most of the peace. From the shadows, someone coughed loudly.

Lily caught a flash of red hair as whoever they were leaned into the candlelight. Bounding excitedly, she perched on the arm-rest, realising it was Hugo. "What's up Hugh?"

"Just reading," he murmured, nodding his head to the thick, leather-bound volume in his lap. Shuffling up the plush sofa, Hugo made room for his cousin.

Folding her legs up, Lily sat down to face Hugo. Inquisitively, she watched him lift his head up, the candlelight dancing across his face. She drew in a breath at the sight.

Across his face, a swollen dark purple bruise covered his left eye entirely, to the point where his eye was barely open. His expression was ashamed and confused as well as anxious. Barely registering her movements, Lily reached out to gently caress his cheek but he flinched away from her touch.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," he quickly answered. Immediately Lily knew he was lying to her. "I just walked into a door that's all. It'll be fine in a couple of days."

Lily moved closer to him, trying to box him in so he couldn't escape her questions. "It looks like someone has punched you. Hugo if you're being bullied, you have to tell me. This can't go on."

"It's fine Lily!" His voice was building in volume and anger. "I just walked into a door." With a slam of his book, Hugo picked up his book and paced straight out of the library.

For a while, Lily just sat there, a dumbstruck look on her face. A few students streamed past her but none were Hugo. Realising she needed answers, she went to find Rose. If anything was going on, Rose would know. But then again, if she didn't know, Lily didn't want to involve her just yet. Especially as it was likely she would send letters home and then a group of Aurors would storm the castle to find the bully.

Instead, Lily left the library - without her book - and headed towards the dungeons. Whenever she had problems, Albus was always the best person to talk to. He managed to rationalise everything and remain calm.

Fighting the chill expected in the dungeons, Lily pulled her cloak closer, wishing for fires and warmth. This was always the downside to visiting her brother, the temperatures as she ventured under the Black Lake dropped dramatically. As she approached, she spoke the password, _"Vengeance,"_ and a door revealed itself.

An eerie green glow was chilling. Thankfully, there was a raging fire warming the common room, its flames a bright shade of green as they flickered high under the mantelpiece. Regal looking furniture was set up in clusters, with dark green leather sofas and matching armchairs facing the fire.

Occupying one of the armchair, with brown hair fastened tightly in a bun on top of her head and a few strands hanging loose, Eve Higgs, Scorpius' cousin, sat with some parchment and an inkwell balanced on her pulled-up legs and a quill in her grip. After a quick scan around the common room for her brother, she wandered over to Eve, deciding to talk with her whilst waiting for Albus.

"And what is a lion doing in the snake pit?" Eve teased as Lily fell into the closest space on a leather sofa.

"Hunting," Lily replied with a wink. Wrestling out of her cloak, she left it in a bundle with her scarf by her feet before bringing her knees up.

Eve closed her inkwell and rolled up her parchment. "I don't think the team are back yet." Slowly Lily nodded to herself. As Eve set aside her work, she turned slightly to face the lion, the fire illuminating her elegant features. "Who won?"

"Slytherin," Lily replied with a smile. "But I wish Scorp had caught the Snitch quicker. I was freezing my knickers off." The thought of the cold weather outside made her shiver.

"What a lovely image!" a low voice replied. Whipping her head around, she smiled as Albus, his hair messed up and slightly damp and coy smile on her face, strutted towards her, falling next to her heavily. Close behind him were Scorpius and Kaleb.

"I'll try and be quicker next time," Scorpius remarked as he past her, sneaking her a confusing wink.

It took a few seconds for Lily to recover from that. "Just the snake I was looking for," Lily said, arranging herself so she faced Albus and blocked Scorpius out, who sat in an armchair next to Eve. Thoughts of him were already clouding her mind and she needed to be a good cousin and find out what was wrong with Hugo.

"Hang on. I got a letter from Dad this morning and he said that during the Christmas holidays, we're going to Bulgaria for Victor and Kaitlin's wedding anniversary." Lily let out a annoyed sigh, casting Albus a dull and bored expression. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just the messenger."

"I hate going to events like that. All we do there is stand there and smile while everyone takes our picture. It's weird."

"Blame Dad. He's the one that saved the Wizarding World." The siblings laughed. Lily chanced a look at Scorpius and saw he was smiling into his lap. "Anyway, what did you need to see me for?"

"Oh yeah!" She shook her head to drag her thoughts away from Scorpius. "Have you noticed anything weird about Hugo? I saw him just now in the library with a black eye. The whole thing is nearly swollen shut. It's horrible!"

Concern washed over Albus' face. He looked into the flames, clearly thinking back on memories to see if he noticed anything peculiar about Hugo's behaviour recently. She too, stared into the green fire, her gaze constantly flickering to Scorpius who was quietly talking to Eve.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily noticed Kaleb. He was quiet, which was very unlike him. Turning her gaze towards him, she noticed his fists were clenched hard, his knuckles white as the skin stretched. Veins seemed to pop out of his neck, blood flushing his face a crimson colour. The rage bubbled inside.

With her mouth open to speak, her attention snapped back to Albus as he spoke. "He seems very clumsy recently. I saw him the other day and he had bruises up and down his arms. Also have you noticed the lack of sleep he's getting? The circles around his eyes darken every day."

"Something's not right. He told me he walked into a door but I don't believe him." Lily's breathing hitched as she swallowed her tears and emotions. "I'm really worried Albus. I don't want to tell Rose because she'll tell Uncle Ron-."

"- and then a team of Aurors will be surrounding the castle with their wands at the ready." Reaching over, Albus took hold of Lily's small hand, squeezing it tightly. "Don't worry yourself too much Lily. I'll find out whose hurting Hugh."

"We all will," Scorpius said from behind her, his smile warming her better than any fire. He was perched on the arm of the sofa. Up close, Lily noticed his damp hair, swooping in whatever direction the wind took it and the icy blue eyes that pierced her heart and made her knees feel weak. "Right Kaleb?"

Something snapped. "OH PISS OFF MALFOY!" Kaleb roared, pushing his chair back as he got up. It skidded across the floor until it hit a wall and one of the legs broke. "Tell him to grow a pair!" With fists clenched and his voice still echoing, he stormed off to what Lily assumed were the dormitories.

"I'll go calm him down," Scorpius said. The strain in his voice was distinguishable although he tried to cover up his anger with serenity. Lily watched with a small longing as he walked away, following Kaleb.

Sensing her emotions so acutely, Albus pulled her into his side, his arms wrapping around her as they both stared into the fire. He followed an unknown rhythm as he pulled his fingers through her hair. "I hate drama!" she cursed into his chest.

Her brother just laughed, continuing to hold her close.

"Congratulations on the game too. I think you played really well!"

"I could hear your friend Ariana from the other side of the pitch," Albus remarked with a small chuckle. "She sure has a broad vocabulary."

A smile tickled Lily's lips. "You could call it that." She knew what he was trying to do but distracting her only made her stomach twist more in anguish. Someone within Hogwarts was hurting her cousin, one of her favourites too, and was obviously scaring him into silence.

If you hurt one Weasley, you hurt them all.

"We'll figure it out Lils. And I won't tell Rose. Although she might find out soon." In response, Lily sighed deeply, trying to relieve herself of some of the stress. She closed her eyes, breathing in the homely scent of her brother and attempted to forget the world. But Albus interrupted her, talking to someone else.

"That was quick!"

"I can't get in without blasting the bloody door down." Recognising the voice, Lily squeezed her eyes shut tighter and for once wished Scorpius wasn't around. She heard the sound of leather taking a weight and knew he had sat down.

Making a quick decision, Lily opened her eyes and picked up her cloak. "I've got to go back to the library. I never did get my book for Potions." With a peck on Albus' cheek, she said goodbye to everyone and rapidly left the Slytherin common room.

Just as she was about to leave the dungeons all together, someone called her name and she spun on her heels to see Scorpius running towards her. "Oh great," she mumbled under her breath. A part of her wanted to run towards him, wanted him to pick her up and spin her around under she felt weightless; but a bigger part of her said that her feelings weren't reciprocated and she shouldn't even bother.

"You forgot your scarf."

"Oh thanks," Lily mumbled, her fingers grazing his as she took her scarf from him. Shivers ran through her entire body and Lily dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Come on, I'll walk you to the library. I need to get a book for Herbology anyway." His arm casually draped across her shoulder and he led her out of the dungeons.

Her head was clouded with the sensation of Scorpius being so close. To keep herself in check, Lily kept her gaze fixed on the floor in front of her as they walked. All it took was one second to lose herself in his eyes.

Squeezing her gently, Scorpius cleared his throat. "Try not to worry about Hugo."

"I just feel so helpless!" Lily admitted in defeat. "I can't force him to tell me who is hurting him nor can I follow him around, trying to catch them in the act. He's my cousin and he's in pain."

"It's not your fault Lily."

"Rationally I know that but it doesn't stop me feeling powerless."

"Lily!" Scorpius stopped her abruptly and forced her to look up. They were outside the library. "You are not powerless. In fact, you possess a power that Hugo needs over everything else. He needs his cousin. Now more than ever, you are the thing he needs."

"But I can't help him if he won't tell me who keeps hurting him."

"Then wait. When he's ready, he will tell you!"

"And what am I meant to do in the meantime?"

His lips parted, ready to speak when a high-pitched squeal echoed down the corridor. Scorpius groaned inwardly and dropped his arm from Lily's shoulder. Peering down the hall, Lily spotted her cousin, Rose, and reacted similarly to Scorpius.

Her cousin was hurrying down the corridor, a look of pure glee on her face. Obviously she was completely unaware of the pain her brother was in. Instead she beamed at Scorpius and complimented his Quidditch skills while discomfort crept across his expression. For a second, Lily wondered if Rose would even care about Hugo but she quickly discarded that thought. Rose was self-centred and conceited but she had been raised on the same values as her.

_Family first._

"I'll see you later Scorpius." Lily took a step back and smiled as Scorpius looked up from Rose to her. "Thanks for everything." She headed for the library door, trying to block out Rose's voice as it rose in pitch.

"Hey Lils?" Spinning on her heels, Lily smiled at Scorpius. "Just be there for him." The smile on her face grew and she watched his smirk appear before she ducked into the peaceful library, her head swooning and her heart fluttering.

* * *

_Author's Note: Oh poor Hugo! It's all kicking off in the halls of Hogwarts. Anyway my exams are finished and I've been suppressing my creativity for too long so expect this story to blow up big time! Lots more planned for my characters. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to_ **REVIEW!**


	8. Lightbulbs

Lily suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.

With the help of Albus, she stepped from the horse-drawn carriage into the brisk chill of the winter night. Light bulbs flashed continuously, blinding her until her vision was but a bright cloud of nothing. She tucked her elbow into Albus' and let him guide her as their picture was taken repeatedly, trying not to fall in her heels. It was all very disorientating but Lily managed a small smile as she aimlessly made her way forward.

Albus lightly tugged on her arm and brought her to a stop. She turned slightly and knew the routine. The bombardment of flashbulbs intensified as she posed with her family for pictures that would surely appear in several magazines with some bizarre and completely untrue headline. But still she smiled until she heard her father began to herd them up the red carpet, away from the photographers.

After a couple of hard blinks, the constant white light that clouded her vision cleared and Lily could look at her surroundings. They were in the centre of a Bulgarian city that she couldn't pronounce. Christmas lights decorated the square and in the middle, made primarily of pure crystal, a beautifully designed, dome shaped building with a clear crystal roof was the venue for the event.

She kept her arm on Albus, still needing his support in her heels and smiled at him, trying not to laugh at the gentlemanly persona he had put on for the public. In a flash, he stuck his tongue out at her before facing the front and smiling at the guests they passed.

It was getting colder so they hurried themselves into the venue, which Lily stared at in awe, and entered a circular, very regal ballroom that seemed bigger than the Great Hall at Hogwarts. There was a clear layout; circular tables clustered with chairs surrounding the designated dance space. In the centre was a bandstand, showcasing an orchestra of both Muggle and magical instruments.

Upon entry, a waiter offered them all a flute of elderflower wine. Albus, James and Lily all turned to their father, hoping to have at least one glass, seeing as it was a formal occasion. He just shrugged and took his own flute whilst searching for the other members of the family that had been invited.

It wasn't hard for Lily to spot Uncle Ron's bright red hair that he had slicked back. Juggling her flute and purse, Lily followed her family, still stunned by the sheer size of the ballroom. It must have cost Galleons.

Lily greeted Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, hugging each of them tightly and smiling as they complimented on how grown up she looked. For the occasion, she had chosen a navy, long sleeved, lacy dress with a small waist and a tutu skirt that stopped just below her knees, paired with some navy wedges for the extra height. Then she found her seat next to Albus and Hugo.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Lily asked in a high pitch.

Her cousin just shrugged. "It's always the same. But this time, I brought something to occupy myself." From under the tablecloth, Hugo revealed a small book filled with pages of new charms.

"Nothing changes with you Hugh!" Dominique said, ruffling his hair.

Across the table, Aunt Hermione spotted the book in Hugo's hands. "Are the spells working for you Hugh?" She looked worried but smiled brightly. Just like Hugo, Lily's aunt hated the spotlight and would rather Apparate in and out of events unseen.

Hugo simply nodded, not wanting to draw attention to the question. But subtlety never was Uncle Ron's speciality.

"They found out why Hugo been having trouble at school. Although the damn Muggles didn't notice a thing!"

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded and the whole table laughed, Aunt Fleur an octave higher.

Kissing his wife's hair, Ron apologised and continued talking. "He's got something called dyslexia." Lily flickered her gaze at Hugo who was turning a deep shade of red and falling deeper into his chair in an attempt to hide himself. Everyone was staring at him, not knowing what the correct thing to say.

The truth was, Lily wasn't even sure she knew what dyslexia was.

From behind the centrepiece of tall white tulips, Louis spoke up, his head barely above the table. "Is it contagess?"

"Louis, it's not contagious," Aunt Hermione spoke softly. "It means that Hugo finds it hard to understand the words on the page and write them himself."

"I have that too!" Louis squealed and once again, the table began laughing, even Hugo.

In the middle of the ballroom, a single trumpet blew out a fanfare and from the entrance doors, Victor and Kaitlin emerged with their heads held high, looking like royalty. He was wearing burgundy red dress robes that suited him very well, although Lily thought her father looked better in his dark green robes. Kaitlin looked absolutely mesmerising. Her small frame hugged the turquoise gown that floated gracefully to the floor and stretched out in a train at least one foot behind her.

Trailing behind the beautiful couple was Max, wearing identical robes to his father with his hands shoved in his pockets. His smile seemed genuine as he beamed at the guests but he did look really bored. Catching her eye, Lily saw him wink at her before moving to the other end of the ballroom to the only long table, sitting next to his mother who kissed his near-black hair.

A bell rang. In front of them all was the first course; a rich, smelling soup topped with a couple of spices. On her left, Al was already licking his lips. Admittedly, Lily's stomach was beginning to growl and she tucked in, feeling the delicious, hot liquid melt down her throat.

"That was some of the best food I've ever tasted," Lily said, dabbing her lips with a cotton napkin.

Dominique nodded in agreement. "Better than Hogwarts!"

"Better than Grandma's," Albus claimed, taking a weak sip of his drink.

"That was better than life." All heads turned to Uncle Ron, staring at him in shock. "Seriously, the best food I've ever tasted. Voldemort could kill me now and I'd die a happy, well-fed man." Leaning back in his chair, Lily smirked as she watched her uncle loosen his belt slightly.

The table burst out laughing, drawing the attention of some very official looking businessmen that were speaking rapid Bulgarian to each other.

"It's a shame Vic and Teddy had to miss this," Dominique said as she sipped her pumpkin juice in an elegant fashion.

"Anyway," Uncle Ron groaned as he fixed his belt. "Rose tells me that you've got a girlfriend Al." All heads turned to Albus, who took his turn to slide deeper into his chair to hide the fact he was blushing a very bright Weasley-red.

Suddenly, James punched Albus' arm though it seemed friendly enough. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Albus didn't reply though, he just sent Rose a scowl. But their cousin just shrugged, admiring her nails before mouthing an apology. As much as Lily loved her cousin, it annoyed her how she never seemed to care for others. It seemed that Rose always put herself first.

"Come on son. Tell us who the lucky girl is," Harry said, smiling at his son with a warm expression.

Taking a deep breath, Albus sighed and shuffled in his seat. Lily could tell that he was considering Apparition with a chance of splinching just to get out of this conversation. "It's nothing," he murmured. "She's just a friend."

"That's what they all say," Uncle Bill remarked, winking at his nephew in a non-secretive manner.

"I think they're getting ready to dance," Lily perked up, noticing how the orchestra were fussing around in the bandstand.

There was another fanfare and Victor stood with his wife on his arm and escorted her to the dance floor. It all seemed very formal and Lily couldn't help but notice the differences between her parents' anniversary and Victor and Kaitlin's. Everyone was always laughing loudly when the Weasley's threw a party.

The music started up and Kaitlin was pulled into a gentle spin before the couple paraded around the ballroom, flashing their smiles at the individual tables. Together they moved elegantly around the room, their movements filled with beauty and grace.

"I think you are the only red heads in the room," a coy, accented voice spoke from behind Lily. She twisted in her chair, tearing her gaze away from the dancing couple. Standing taller than ever was Maxy. Actually he was Maximus to all the adults but Lily had nicknamed him Maxy when she was very little. Since then, it was either Maxy or Max.

A bright smile stretched across her lips. "Maxy!" she squealed as she jumped to her feet, wobbling slightly on her heels. Luckily Max fixed an arm around her so she wouldn't fall – which she probably would have. "You look very smart!"

"Not looking too bad yourself Lils," he said in his Bulgarian/American accent. Even though Victor and his job were based in Bulgaria, Max spends a lot of time in America, where his mother is from.

"Max!" Albus cried, doing some weird handshake where the boys bumped shoulders. "It's a good party mate. Not as good as the Burrow extravaganzas we have but not bad."

Maxy returned with a wink before greeting everyone else around the table.

By now, people were already joining the dancing couple, spinning perhaps less gracefully around the bandstand. Already it seemed some were very drunk, falling about and giggling hysterically – and those were just the men. Lily recognised some of them from the Bulgarian Quidditch Team Victor played for.

"Care to dance?" Uncle Ron offered his hand out in a gentleman fashion, causing Aunt Hermione to blush. Pulling her wrap tighter around her arms, she placed her bag on the table and let her husband twirl her onto the dance floor.

As soon as everyone was distracted with the dancing, Louis jumped from the table and darted off into the crowds, mimicking an aeroplane. Uncle Bill just shrugged and pulled his wife closer as they joined the dance floor. It seemed everyone was pairing up. James was coerced by his mother into a dance while Rose quickly pulled Albus up while he whined and moaned.

"Come on Bulgarian boy. Show me your moves!" Dominique said in a very seductive voice, quietly so only Max – and unfortunately Lily and Hugo too – heard. With a wink from Dominique and a plea for help from Maxy, Lily watched the pair dance where it was obvious Dominque was leading.

"I'm going to go and find Louis," Hugo said, throwing his book on the table.

As Lily turned away, she noticed the tall figure in front of her. "Would you like to dance, Miss Potter?" He held out his hand and bowed slightly.

Giggling like a little girl, Lily nodded to her father and slipped her hand into his, placing her bag next to Hugo's book and slowly making her way to the dance floor, minding the fact she was in heels. However her father was sympathetic as they only danced swayed on the outskirts. She tried to wrap her arms around his neck but couldn't quite reach so settled for dangling them off his shoulders.

"You look beautiful tonight Lilyflower," Harry said, his bright emerald eyes alight with pride and happiness. "All grown up." He seemed to choke on the words and Lily moved closer to him.

"Don't cry on me now Dad. The Daily Prophet might get a picture," she said quietly with a wink. The pair laughed.

"How is school?"

"It's alright. I know it'll get harder next year so I'm trying to enjoy myself. But Professor Wilson has asked me to do some tutoring for DADA because I'm getting so good."

"I bet you could take your OWL for it already and get an Outstanding," Harry teased in all honesty.

"How is work?"

"It's fine."

Instantly Lily knew he was dodging the question. And this meant that something was going on at work. And if it was secretive, it was usually dangerous. And the thought of her father surrounded by danger made Lily's stomach heavy with worry.

Her face must have showed her distress. "Don't worry," he quickly reassured. "Remember I'm good at my job."

Lily tried to smile but it wasn't as easy as before. Not with this new worry clawing at her stomach. Her father had always had a dangerous job. As soon as the war finished, he joined the Aurors with Uncle Ron, wanting to eradicate the rest of the Death Eaters that managed to escape that day. He even stayed when James was born, although he did conveniently get a promotion to Head of the Auror Office as Lily's professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Kameron Wilson, stepped down to take up his teaching job. Her father's dangerous job had always been a part of Lily's life. But that doesn't mean she liked it.

"Can we get a picture?" a passing photographer asked, though he didn't give them a chance to argue before the flashes of his camera were blinding Lily. Slightly dazed, she put on her best smile and hugged her father, waiting for the flashes to stop.

Someone came up behind them and slapped Harry on his shoulder, making him lose his grip on Lily so she stumbled forward slightly. "Harry! It is lovely to see you." It was the man of the hour and just as Lily was about to explode the Weasley temper, she recognised Maxy's father and smiled sweetly. "And little Lily," he cried, pulling her into a hug that lifted her off her feet. The flashes turned into a frenzy.

"Victor! Harry!" The photographer called out for their attention and unknowingly Lily was pulled in for another photo opportunity. She stood just in front of her father and Victor, with their hands on her shoulders. Smiling sweetly, Lily fiddled with her fingers, patiently waiting for everything to stop.

This was the downside to her father - fame. James loved the popularity that came with the name _Potter_, strutting around the place, although he had done so less and less now that he was serious about Alicia. Her mother was indifferent to it. And Albus doesn't care. After making friends with the son of Harry Potter's childhood enemy, the press went insane but both Albus and Scorpius just laughed it off. It bothered Lily the most, even though she had grown up with it as a part of her life.

"Harry, you must meet some people," Victor said cheerily, looking around the room for who he was referring to. "Lily, could you find Maximus for his grandmother is looking for him?" Politely nodding, Lily kissed her father's cheek and walked back to their table, taking a sip of her drink while she scanned the crowd.

From across the massive ballroom, Lily spotted Hugo who was frantically running around, chasing Louis. Laughing to herself, Lily jumped as an arm slung itself around her shoulder.

"Holy Dumbledore!" Lily cried, spilling her drink over her hand. "Don't do that Maxy." Lightly she punched him in the stomach but it didn't seem to affect his laughter. "I have a message from your dad. He said your grandmother is looking for you."

"Damn it!" Maxy cursed. "Leave her. I came over to ask if you wanted to dance." Just like her father, Maxy held out his hand with the other behind his back. With a giggle, Lily took his hand, letting herself be pulled into the middle of the dance floor.

Dancing with Maxy was easier. She could reach up to wrap her arms around his neck and his hands stayed respectively at the top of her hips. From time to time, Maxy would spin her gracefully and the pair would laugh at how unsteady Lily in heels was. It was during the second song that Maxy spoke.

"I need to tell you something Lily."

"What?" she asked inquisitively.

"I really like Rose."

"You what?" Lily said, possibly a bit too loud. "Maxy, I can't believe you. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because nothing would happen anyway. She doesn't share my feelings-,"

"You don't know that," Lily interrupted.

"- and we live in different countries."

"That doesn't matter. You two would just be the definition of a long distance relationship," Lily joked.

"Don't tell her! Only you and Albus know."

"I won't. But I think you should act on your feelings."

"And do what?" Maxy questioned.

"If you want to create the same feelings you have for her, start small."

They continued to dance in silence for a few seconds while Maxy's face became mesmerised in thought and Lily just watched. And then, like a light bulb turning itself on above his head, his eyes became wide and bright. A smile stretched across his face and catching her unaware, Maxy spun Lily in a frantic spin, stopping her to kiss her cheek.

"You're brilliant!"

"I know," she said, flicking her hair back over her shoulder in a girly, fake fashion. "Care to elaborate?"

"I'm going to ask Rose for a dance." And with another kiss, this time on top of her head, Maxy was off, pushing through the crowds, pausing only to shout, "love you Lils," across his shoulder.

"Just call me Cupid," Lily mumbled, feeling very alone and thinking of Scorpius.

* * *

_Author's Note: Don't hate me. I think I got a review on the last chapter saying they wanted Lily and Scorpius to just get together but honestly, I think it comes with time so have patience and you will be rewarded. However I can promise that the next chapter has some moments of the favourite couple and in three or four chapters, something big happens. I promise. Just stick with this story because it's getting better._

**REVIEW! I want to hear your thoughts :D**


	9. A Book And A Boy

"Wake up!"

Groaning inwardly, Lily rubbed her eyes open, removing the sleep from them. Above her hovered her cousin Dominique, grinning from ear to ear. Lily groaned again and pushed her cousin away, curling up in her bed with the duvet over her head.

"Leave me alone Dom. I was up late finishing my Defence Against the Dark Arts project."

From the other side of the room, Lily heard the worried tone of one of her best friends. "I thought that didn't have to be in for another two weeks," Ariana said, her voice rising with concern.

"It doesn't. Lily just loves to worry us with her over-achievements," Lily's other friend Phoebe remarked sarcastically.

"I do not!" she said defiantly, throwing the covers off her body.

Perched on the end of her bed with a pile of letters in her hand, was Dominique, her grin still fixed on her face. It was clear she had already washed and gotten dressed, styling a blood-red sheer blouse and black jeans to go with. "That got you up. Now open your cards."

"You woke me up for this?" Already Lily was groaning to herself.

"It's Valentine's Day! Not, let's-waste-the-day-away-in-bed-day!" Her cousin moved closer and Lily knew the only way to get rid of her, was to do as she said until she got bored and left Lily alone.

Sitting up in her bed, keeping the duvet wrapped tight because the dormitory window was open, Lily sighed in defeat and let Dominique pass her one card at a time. The fact that she had cards at all was a surprise to Lily. She was a friendly person but to think people actually felt that way about her was weird.

And she knew James would probably hex any boy that came within a five metre radius of her today; unless he was too busy flirting with Alice.

In total, she received seven cards. One was from a very obnoxious first year from Hufflepuff who believe that he could show Lily 'a good time'. Another was from a third year Gryffindor, who invited her to the Valentine's Ball that was this evening. Four more were from some of Lily's classmates, Toby Cannon from Hufflepuff, Noah Barnsley and Tyger Cooke from Slytherin and Ryan Lowe from her own house. The last one came with a big box of chocolates from Honeydukes, each filled with caramel. No one had signed the card. All that was written inside the card was…

"You're beautiful."

"Who said that?" Ariana asked, helping herself to a heart-shaped chocolate.

A confused expression settled across Lily's face. "There's no name." She flipped the card over but the other side was empty. It made no sense. Why send a card and not sign it? Though she knew if she had the nerve to send Scorpius a card, she wouldn't sign it either.

"Oh Lily's got a secret admirer!" Dominique teased and soon Ariana and Phoebe joined in, repeating it in a sing-songy manner.

All of her friends received cards; Ariana got three including one from Hugo's friend Niall Finnigan. Dominique received loads but she kept the number to herself, not wanting to boast. Phoebe received one from Franklin Longbottom, formally inviting her to the ball tonight – although she had already agreed.

After finishing off all the chocolates, with a little help, Lily found something to wear – a blue check shirt tucked into high-waist jeans – and quickly hopped in the shower before heading down to breakfast.

As they entered the Great Hall, Lily groaned. "I hate Valentine's Day." The entire hall was decorated in red and white streamers with hearts everywhere – even the toast was in the shape of hearts. Above their heads, miniature cupids were whizzing around, handing out last-minute cards, giggling in such harsh, high pitches that it annoyed Lily instantly.

"Don't be a bore Lils," Dominique whined, dangling her arm around her shoulder. "If you refuse to have fun today, I won't have you taking away from others." With a kiss on the cheek, Lily watched her cousin dance off, spinning down the aisle with her Veela charm causing every boy's head to turn.

Lily rolled her eyes. However she went and joined her friends who were sat with Seb, Oscar, Ryan, Harvey and Finn – the Gryffindor boys of her year. She was about to sit between Ariana and Phoebe when Ariana moved up the bench, forcing her to sit next to Ryan. Quickly she scowled at her best friend before taking a deep breath and turning to her left.

"Hi Lily!" Ryan was always very enthusiastic, even with homework. "Did you get my card?" There was a bright spark in his blue eyes and although they weren't the same icy blue as Scorpius, she smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I did Ryan. It was very sweet of you," Lily responded, watching a faint blush powder his cheeks. For Lily, this was a first. Never had she had boys falling over her.

But in the back of mind, always on the brink of taking full control, was her longing for the boy she knew would never feel the same way. Of course, Lily knew the impracticalities of wanting Scorpius, the main being he didn't feel the same way. Yet Lily couldn't make her feelings for him disappear so instead, she buried them. Usually they only plagued her when he was around.

Perhaps, with it being Valentine's Day, Scorpius would always be on her mind today.

"Who's up for a game of Quidditch?" Sebastian asked from across Lily. Instantly all the boys chorused in agreement. "Girls?" He looked from Dominique, to Phoebe, to Ariana before settling on me.

"I'm busy getting ready for tonight," Phoebe said.

Leaning into Seb, Dominique almost purred, "I'd love to."

Ariana shrugged. "Of course. Who doesn't want to spend their Valentine's Day with a couple of near-death experiences?" The small group laughed. In their first year, Ariana hadn't had much luck on a broom. Immediately after takeoff, she lost control and flew straight into a wall. Luckily nothing was broken.

"Lily?" Ryan asked, looking at her with wide, puppy dog eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've got a tonne of work to do. Especially my Potions essay." She watched the light fade from his eyes. "But maybe, if I finish early, I'll come down and meet you guys."

The smile seemed to fall slightly and Ryan left Lily alone to eat her loved-up breakfast, which guiltily she was happy about. She had no feelings for Ryan and it was wrong to lead him on. So after swallowing the last of her toast, she said goodbye to everyone and quickly headed back to her dormitory to fetch a book that she had been meaning to read since the beginning of the year.

OK, so she lied. But she knew she could beat all of them at Quidditch, because they underestimate her and she is the daughter of the best Chaser to grace the British and Irish League, and therefore didn't see the point when there were other things to be doing.

The weather was quite bright. Above her, the Sun was shining brightly opposite a chilling breeze that showed the ruminants of the winter weather. Wrapping a scarf around her neck and fastening the buttons of her coat, Lily made her way into the courtyard, hoisting herself up onto the wall under an arch. She pulled her knees up and rested her book on her thighs, turning the first page to read.

_When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold._

"What's up Lils?"

"One sentence!" she cried, mentally cursing whoever interrupted her. Looking up, she gasped. "Oh hi Scorpius." Awkwardly, she twisted a strand of hair behind her ear and laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry." He looked amazing, styling jeans tucked into military boots and a plain grey t-shirt suited his eyes. His eyes sparkled like icicles in sunlight and impulsively, Lily felt a smile grow across her face as she took Scorpius in. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"More like annoy," she teased. "I'd literally read just the first sentence." Lily indicated to the book by lifting it up.

With a huff, he lifted himself up onto the wall to face Lily, their legs laced together slightly. "Let me see."

Unwillingly, she handed him the book and studied his face, looking for any sign that he approved or disapproved of her choice in books. It felt like hours before Scorpius spoke again but in retrospect, it had hardly been a minute.

"Can I borrow it after you?"

"Sure," Lily said, hiding the surprise in her voice as she took the book back.

"Scorp!" On the other side of the courtyard, Albus, Franklin and Kaleb were waving Scorpius over. When he recognised his little sister, Al shouted a greeting to Lily.

Hopping off the wall, Scorpius ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged a black coat on. "Enjoy your book," he said with a wink, beginning to head towards his friends.

"Where are you guys off to?"

"Hogsmeade," Scorpius said, swinging around dramatically to face her. "My cousin Eve has set me up with one of her friends so I'm taking her on a date. I'd rather be here reading books like you but I've got to go and be a big boy." Lily giggled but couldn't help but feel empty inside.

He was dating. And it wasn't her. Of course she knew he would never have feelings for her but not for one second did she consider that he could have feelings for anyone else. A bit of a silly assumption to be honest.

"Have fun!" Lily replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"You too." And with a fleeting look behind his shoulder, Scorpius was gone and Lily could return to her book - even though she was very distracted at the thought of Scorpius Malfoy on a date.

###

"Lily, have you been out here all this time?"

Looking up from her book, Lily smiled to see Scorpius strutting towards her, his hands in his pockets casually. "What do you mean?" She marked the page with a small fold and swung her legs to dangle off the side of the ledge.

"You haven't moved since I left you this morning. And that was at least a couple of hours ago."

Sure enough the Sun above her had moved across the sky and ducked behind a patch of clouds that weren't there when Scorpius had first interrupted her. At a guess, Lily thought it was about lunchtime. In agreement, her stomach growled.

Lily looked at the ground, preparing to jump. She tightened her grip on her book and pushed off the wall, landing unsteadily and ultimately falling. However hands reached out and grabbed her before she could stop herself. Scorpius pulled her to her feet, making sure she was stable.

"Thanks," she mumbled, brushing her clothes and fetching her book that had dropped to the floor. When she stood back up, she realised how close she was to him, looking into his icy blue eyes and immediately becoming lost in them. If it wasn't for body necessities, Lily could have stayed like it for hours.

But her stomach had other ideas, growling loudly for food.

Scorpius smirked and turned, linking his arm with her. "Let's go and get some food. Your cousin made sure I didn't get any on my date." He led her back into the castle, making for the Great Hall.

"That reminds me," Lily said, trying to move the conversation away from her, even if it went talking about something that had the potential to crush her. "Why are you back from your date so early?"

"One word. Rose."

"Ah!" Lily sighed. She was very conscious of the arm that was linked with her, the warmth spreading through her body from the one connection. It seemed to take a lot more energy to focus on what Scorpius was saying. "What did she do this time?"

"We were sat in the Three Broomsticks, having a really nice time and then Rose comes along and just made everything awkward, constantly bringing up the fact that she was a pity date I agreed to for Eve and I wouldn't have said yes if it wasn't for the fact that Eve was my cousin. I was so close to pulling your cousin away by her hair and kicking her out but Melody suddenly didn't feel hungry and ran out of the pub, leaving Rose smirking in satisfaction. So I left, found Melody and asked her to the Ball tonight to make up for the disastrous lunch."

"Well those of Weasley blood are easily jealous," Lily said as they walked into the Great Hall.

Scorpius led her towards the Slytherin table, gaining a couple of stares. Thankfully there were only second and first years in the hall. It wasn't as if she had never sat with the snakes, talking to her brother about things. However never had she sat there with Scorpius, alone.

"Is that a rule? Because it would explain some of Albus' behaviour and definitely all of James's whenever it concerns Alicia."

"Probably." Shrugging to him, Lily found herself wondering if it was the Weasley blood of her mother that made her feel so jealous of Eve's friend Melody going on a date with Scorpius. She sat down next to him and began filling her plate with some salad.

"How are your classes?" he asked between mouthfuls of pasta.

It took a second to answer, seeing as she had to recover from the emotions of being touched that Scorpius was asking about her. "For the most part, they are good. I'm apparently ahead of everyone in Defence and Transfiguration is really exciting. But Potions is horrible."

"How bad?"

"I blew up my third cauldron of the term yesterday and it's only February!" Ever since Lily's first year, when she sent a total on eight letters home in the first term, asking for a new cauldron, she'd known she was disastrous at Potions. At Christmas, her mother bought a load in bulk and has them in the attic, waiting for Lily's to blow up.

In what felt like a patronising manner, Scorpius patted her on the back, his smirk stretched across his face. "One day kiddo, you'll make the perfect potion and your cauldron won't blow up."

"Really?" Lily raised her eyebrows. "Because Professor Trigg doesn't seem to think so. He's put me at my own desk so I don't hurt anyone with my explosions."

"Lily it wasn't your fault that Dom's head shrunk when you were trying to make a Swelling Potion. So what if the potion did the exact opposite thing it was supposed to do." The sarcasm was dripping from his words.

"Your sarcasm is killing me," Lily mocked.

Both of them chatted easily as they ate their lunches, the conversation moving from Scorpius' lessons to House Quidditch and the upcoming match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Somehow it ended up back on Lily and her failing inability to do well in Potions.

"Have you got any work for Potions?" Scorpius asked, finishing the last of his pumpkin juice.

Lily nodded, quickly swallowing her food. "Seven inches." It was the essay she was supposed to be doing, or that's what she told Ryan anyway.

"We best get started then."

"You want to help me?" Lily stuttered, her eyes wide in disbelief. He was actually giving up his time to be with her on Valentine's Day. Her heart went into over-drive and started pounding heavily against her ribcage.

He got to his feet, offering a hand to Lily. "Your cousin sort of ruined my plans for the day so as long as you're happy being the next best thing..." He trailed off dramatically and Lily rolled her eyes. Nervously she took his hand and he helped her from the bench, linking his arm with hers. Around them, whispers sparked to life but the pair ignored them.

"Let's go write the best essay Professor Trigg will ever grade," she said and they both laughed their way to the Gryffindor common room.

###

It was quiet in the common room that evening. The majority of the school were in the Great Hall, dancing their way to kisses and blisters, leaving only the first and second years to lounge around to do as they please. Lily had decided to spend her time reading her book, ignoring Dominique and Ariana, who were playing a game of Wizard's Chess.

"He spent the entire day with you?" Dominique asked in a shocking manner. She was concentrating on the board in front of her, waiting for Ariana's next move and trying to map out her own. The pair took these games too seriously.

"It was only the afternoon," Lily corrected, sighing deeply as she put her book down. She was so close to the end and it was annoying that her friend chose now to start a conversation.

"He likes you," Ariana said in a teasing manner. Lily watched as Ariana smiled to herself and leant back in her chair, instructing her knight to move which meant smashing Dominique's last castle to rubble.

"How could you?" Dominique cried. She recovered quickly and instructed her bishop to destroy Ariana's last pawn. "And he does like you Lils."

"I think you're wrong."

"We're not," the friends said in unison. "Just tell him how you feel," Ariana added.

Lily rolled her eyes. "And when he doesn't like me back, I would have made a complete idiot of myself in front of Albus' best friend. I doubt the teasing would ever stop. I'd be ridiculed until the day I died."

"And what if you're wrong and he's just waiting for you to give him a sign that you like him too?" Dominique questioned, smirking as she watched Ariana struggle to find her next move.

"I guess he'll be waiting a long time then," Lily sighed, opening her book once more and silencing her friends.

It was peaceful for a while, apart from the few swears Ariana used to express the fact that Dominique was winning. Lily managed to read the last chapter, finishing the last words just as her brother entered the common room, followed by Franklin, Phoebe and of course, Scorpius. His stare was immediately on Lily and she could feel her best friends laughing already.

"Why are you back so soon?" Dominique asked as Albus lifted his sister's legs to sit down before letting them rest on his lap. Scorpius sat on the other side of Albus and Franklin pulled a nearby armchair closer for him and Phoebe.

"It was so boring," Phoebe answered, kicking off her heels. "If you guys were there, it would have been better."

"How was Scorpius' date?" Dominique said, winking secretly to Lily who simply rolled her eyes as a reflex.

Lily wasn't the only one rolling her eyes. Her brother was too, which gained him a shove from Scorpius. "It was fine," he said politely, running his hands through his hair.

"Fine?" Franklin said questionably. "She was a bore."

"He's got a point dude." Albus murmured, shrugging out of his dress coat. "I've seen more personality in one of the wailing books in the Restricted Section."

"Lay off! She's Eve's friend. Your cousin sure didn't help by scaring her into being extremely shy this evening. I can't believe Rose," Scorpius said. His fingers ran through his white blond hair and Lily noticed he did this every time he was stressed or frustrated.

Making her move, Dominique leaned back in her chair. "Does that mean you'll be asking her out again?" she inquired subtly, asking the question that was on the tip of Lily's tongue. She smiled to her cousin, slightly thanking her for providing Scorpius a chance to give Lily a sign.

"I think I'm done trying to date younger girls," Scorpius sighed, running his last hand through his hair.

Lily looked down into her lap, feeling her heart fall straight out of her body. Although he hadn't directed his words at her, Lily felt as if he had ripped her heart out along with any possibility of them ever being together. Until that moment, she hadn't realised how much she had been hanging onto the tiny hope that her feelings may be reciprocated. However with this latest statement, that hope had quickly dissolved into upset.

"Are you alright Lils?"

Snapping out of her train of thought, she looked up to see Scorpius watching her with concern in his eyes. For a moment, she felt angry that he could care about her when he had just stamped on her dreams like they were small and worthless. However after a few deep breaths, the anger faded. It was Scorpius and she could never stay angry at him again.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, fiddling with her book in her hands. "I finished it by the way." Lily offered the book across Albus to Scorpius, trying to smile as he took the book from her. "It's really good."

"Bloody Merlin Lils. That was quick. Didn't you just start it this morning?" Scorpius said, flicking it open at the first page.

In response, Lily just shrugged. "I guess I'm a quick reader." Scorpius just nodded to himself, becoming lost in the words of the book.

"Checkmate!" Ariana declared, causing everyone to look at the board and see Ariana's bishop strike Dominique's king into dust. She leaned back, smiling to herself in satisfaction while watching Dominique stutter in disbelief.

"How? I was... I don't... What the...? Rematch?"

"No thanks. I think I'll savour this victory before beating your ass again Weasley," Ariana teased.

"This isn't over May!"

* * *

_Author's Note: I was extremely bored at college so I decided to upload this instead. Right now I'm in a silent class learning nothing but the fact that I'm seriously tired. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Things are picking up between Scorpius and Lily, slowly but surely. I'm having a small writer's block with one chapter and I'm contemplating just leaving it out - but there are some underlying plots that must be explored. I'll stop rambling now. Just enjoy!_

**And remember to REVIEW!**

_P.S. Can anyone tell me from the first sentence what Lily is reading? There'll be imaginary bonus points and perhaps a next chapter if someone guesses correctly._


	10. The Future

The ceiling was bright and blue, representing the summer sky outside, as Lily walked into the Great Hall. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, talking excitedly about their plans for the next six weeks. However when Lily sat down next to Ariana, helping herself to some toast, the breakfast conversation quickly turned to the future.

"This is stressing me out you guys," Ariana cried, running her fingers through her chocolaty hair in despair. "There's just so much to choose from."

"You shouldn't have left it so late," Dominique mumbled with her mouth full of cornflakes.

In response, Ariana groaned, letting her head fall into her empty bowl with fingers knotted tightly in her hair. Swallowing her toast, Lily cleared her throat. "I'm with Ariana. I've been thinking about it for over a week and I still have no idea what subjects I'm taking next year."

"Apart from Care of Magical Creatures," Phoebe interjected. Straight away, all four of them had decided on Hagrid's class, mainly because he would be very offended if they didn't sign up but also because he rarely handed out homework and sometimes his brother Grawp was his teaching assistant which was apparently very amusing.

But Lily still had to choose another two subjects. After sending a letter to her parents, who were completely useless – _"We love you no matter what you choose."_–, she asked her teachers for advice. Only her Head of House, Uncle Neville had been of any help.

"Don't take the subjects you think you'll need for a career. Choose the ones you'll be good at and will enjoy because you'll be stuck with them for at least another three years," he told her over a pot of tea.

Yet after a week of deliberation, Lily hadn't come any closer to choosing her other one subject. And today was the final day for decisions.

"What's up Lils?" Her big brother came and sat next to her, beginning to shovel copious amounts of food onto his plate. James was oddly alone, without his constant companions, Fred and Eddie, meaning they were probably setting up for a prank. Whatever was going on, Lily was too stressed to care.

"Subject choices!"

"Ah the decisions of your future." James laughed to himself.

"Not helping," Lily snapped. Instantly she started to ramble, internally wondering why she hadn't asked her brothers before. It wasn't like they were good for anything else but being annoying. "I'm just stressed out about them. Everyone's making them out to be the most important decisions of our lives and that one wrong choice could affect us for the rest of our lives."

"Ignore them," James grunted.

Leaning against her brother's broad shoulder, she sighed deeply. "I don't know what to do James." She closed her eyes and tried to block out the Great Hall.

"Take Divination Lils, like me and Al. It's the easiest subject I ever took." James began to make a soothing motion of rubbing circles in her back comfortingly.

From across her, Dominique countered, "I heard it was just a load of guesswork. How will that help us in the future?"

James shrugged, jostling Lily slightly. "I don't know but if you're a Potter and you take Divination, it's like an automatic Outstanding. Apparently every Potter is destined to die an unexpected and painful death. If I don't get at least one warning of my impending doom, it's been a bad day for me."

Lily stifled the giggles and opened her eyes. She could always count on James to make her feel better. Squeezing him tight, she conveyed her gratitude to him.

"Don't listen to him," Alicia Longbottom said from further down the Gryffindor table. "Divination is utter crap. I'd pick Arithmacy if I was you."

At this, James nearly spat his pumpkin juice out. "Are you insane Alice? I love you but you sure picked some dull subjects. Even the thought of Arithmacy…" James yawned dramatically.

"Mock all you want Potter but at least when I leave Hogwarts, I won't be living on my father's name." With a flick of her hair, Alicia stood up from the table, making to leave.

Therefore it was only natural that James would follow. Standing from the bench, he ruffled Lily's hair annoyingly and quickened his pace to catch up with Alicia, shouting after her. "I'll have you know I've stayed up every night until midnight revising for the end of year exams!" And with that, James was out of sight.

"Fantastic," Lily muttered sarcastically. "I've got to make one of the biggest decisions of my life and instead of helping; my idiot brother has ran off chasing a girl.

"Families," Dominique shrugged.

"Why the long faces?"Albus asked, taking James' space next to Lily while Scorpius sat opposite her, next to Kaleb. Franklin was with them but had immersed himself in a conversation with Phoebe – although they hadn't made it official, the pair were practically going out.

When Lily and Ariana made no response to explain, Dominique took it upon herself to fill everyone in. "Ari and Lils haven't decided on their subjects for next year and the deadline is today."

All three boys nodded in unison.

"Take Divination," Albus immediately said, ripping into a slice of toast. "It's a piece of piss if you're in our family. Apparently every Potter is destined to die an unexpected and painful death."

"It's a load of bollocks though Lilykins," Kaleb said, smirking at the use of his nickname for her. "But it's a good chance to catch up on some sleep." He seemed to go off into his own little world after this. "Maybe that's why I'm failing." Poor Kaleb.

"I don't know why you two are having such trouble with your subjects," Rose complained, appearing very suddenly between Scorpius and Dominique, her focus on the handsome Slytherin as she rudely shoved Dominique to make some room for herself. "Just take them all like me."

"I'm not taking them all," Lily replied. "I'd rather push myself off the top of the Astronomy Tower, thank you very much."

Scorpius hadn't said a word since he sat down, choosing to pick apart a slice of toast. He had grown obviously uncomfortable since Rose sat down and Lily knew it was because of her cousin's clear obsession for him. And even though Scorpius had turned her down, Rose never seemed deterred by it, always coming back for more rejection.

As if he knew she was thinking about him, Scorpius looked up from his plate and smirked when he saw Lily staring. She tried to look away but couldn't; instead smiling subtly. With the others arguing over the best subjects she should take, Lily occupied herself with marvelling at Malfoy: the rise of the left corner of his mouth when he smirked; the crinkles by his eyes when they sparkled with happiness. In that moment, Lily believed she could never tire of staring at Scorpius Malfoy.

"What's your favourite subject Lily?" he asked quietly while goose bumps appeared on her arms at the sound of his voice addressing her.

Timidly she replied, "Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Well Ancient Runes is a good subject because it compliments Defence really well but it's like learning another language and there's a lot of reading to stay on top of. Arithmacy is good and is essentially advanced maths. It helps with Potions but if you don't understand Potions, it may just confuse you further.

"Muggle Studies would be pretty easy for you because of the Muggle aspects you were raised in. And you have two best friends who live in the Muggle world. But I wouldn't go for Divination because if you're even the slightest bit skeptical, the lessons are just boring. However Care of Magical Creatures is fun with Hagrid and he doesn't give you much homework, but you do need to do some extra reading to pass.

"Does that help?" Scorpius asked, taking a swig of pumpkin juice.

"Lots," Lily said, deliberating her subjects carefully.

Potions is bad enough without the added confusion of Arithmacy so that was out. However she did want a challenge and studying Muggles seemed too easy so perhaps Ancient Runes should be her choice because it would help her with Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Clearing her throat, everyone turned to look at Lily. "I've decided to take Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes."

"Yay! That's the same as me," Dominique squealed.

When Lily turned back to Scorpius, he was smirking at her again, as if he had already predicted Lily's choices before her. She mouthed 'thank you' to which he responded with a shrug. But his smirk grew and Lily felt her heart flutter. She returned with a smile but it quickly fell when Rose scowled at her.

"Have you decided on your subject?" Lily asked quietly to Ariana alone.

"I think I'll take Divination and if I suck at it, I'll just predict that you and Albus will soon suffer." The pair laughed and felt a huge weight lift off their shoulders. No longer were they burdened by the future.

###

Holding tight to her mother's arm, Lily closed her eyes tight and felt the familiar and yet uncomfortable pull on her naval as she Apparated to outside the Burrow. She kissed her mother, who quickly Disapparated to get Albus and Scorpius, before walking through the gate and into the living room.

"Dad!" Lily squealed as she hugged her father tight and felt her legs leave the floor when Harry swung her around. "I missed you!" Burying her head in his shoulder, she breathed in the familiar scent of her father and squeezed him tighter until he put her down, returning her to her small height.

"I'm so glad you're back. The house always feels so quiet," Harry remarked, kissing her on the cheek swiftly.

Then Lily pulled him to the sofa, perching on his lap and ignoring the painful groan when her father realised she was heavier than last time. "How's work?" she asked, taking his glasses off his face and cleaning them on the bottom of her velvet skirt. Ever since the Christmas holidays, Lily had been asking about the Auror Office more and more in the hope that he'll slip up and tell her what's causing all his stress.

No such luck. "It's good but unfortunately Seamus piled a load of paperwork on my desk just before I left so I'll probably be working later tomorrow." Lily just nodded and placed his glasses back on his nose.

"I did get around to reading your letter though," he said in a pure attempt to change the subject. Once Lily had decided on her options, she had sent a letter home with all the details. "Talk to your Aunt Hermione about Ancient Runes because she did it for her O.W.L's and loved it."

"DINNER'S READY!" Grandma Molly shouted.

Lily pulled her father to his feet and together they went into the garden. Not everyone could fit in the Burrow easily; even with the extensions it was a squeeze. Therefore on big occasions, like coming home, they all ate outside. It was still a squeeze but at least there was enough air to breathe.

In the end, Lily found herself wedged between Dominique and Scorpius stuck in the middle of a conversation about who should have won the Quidditch Cup.

"Slytherin have been playing consistently all year," Albus claimed. His voice raised an octave as he gave his defence. "We deserved to win."

James huffed, rolling his eyes at Lily who was sitting opposite. "But our Chasers scored loads more than yours throughout the season."

"Maybe but your Seeker is shocking. I'm surprised he can find his broom," Scorpius argued.

From the kitchen, plates of food drifted to the table, setting themselves in the middle. As soon as Grandma Weasley, with her wand rose, set the last plate down, the entire family began to tuck in, fighting each other for the food.

With her plate full, Lily enjoyed the peaceful silence that came with everyone having their mouths too full of food to speak. All that could be heard with the clatter of cutlery on the plates. Swallowing her mouthful, Lily cleared her throat.

"Scorp has a point James. You'd win much quicker if you got a new Seeker."

"That's not my decision Lils," James said with his mouth full. "If I make Captain next year, he's gone."

"Can we please get off the subject of Quidditch?" Dominique said agitatedly, slamming her cutlery on the table. "Anymore of it and I'm seriously considering hexing myself."

"How about Puddlemere United? They seem to be doing pretty well this season," Scorpius said, smirking across Lily at Dominique who seemed to be clutching her wand tightly under the table.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Teddy announced, standing up with Victoire on his arm. Today Teddy's hair with the brightest blue, Lily had ever seen. Everyone pushed their plates away and looked up at the couple who were positively beaming.

"1 Galleon says she's pregnant," James whispered to Fred.

"You're on!"

"I'm proud to announce that with the permission of Uncle Bill and guidance of Dad, I asked Vic to marry me last night. And she said yes!"

"Oh my god!" Grandma Weasley cried, getting to her feet to congratulate them both. The table erupted into applause and everyone got up to personally congratulate them. Uncle Bill and Teddy shared a stern handshake, where Teddy looked scared out of his wits.

When it was James's turn to hug Victoire, he asked, "This isn't because you're pregnant is it?" Unfortunately, Ginny was standing very close and slapped her son gently around the head as a warning.

"No I'm not," Victoire replied.

"Hand over that Galleon James!" Fred shouted from across the garden.

Next it was Lily's turn and she walked up to the happy couple, surprisingly with Scorpius, "Congratulations Teddy!" she squealed, hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy for the pair of you. But just so you know, you've always been a part of the family. Now it's just official."

"Lily, we would like you to be a bridesmaid," Victoire asked, a coy smile playing on her lips.

"Of course!" Lily cried, giving her cousin an unexpected hug. "I'd love to be."

"We also want you to be a page boy Scorpius," Teddy said, his smile brighter than any other Lily had ever seen. In that moment Lily knew they were perfect for each other and was eternally happy for her adopted brother.

"You're a part of my family," he continued, placing an arm on Scorpius' shoulder. "And I know that our family has had its differences in the past but your grandmother has welcomed my grandmother back and with you being Albus' best friend, it seems like you were always meant to be a part of our family, just like I was destined to fall in love in Vic. I want you to be at my wedding. You and the rest of your family."

"I'm honoured," Scorpius said, his voice seeming tight and choked. Turning her attention to Malfoy, he noticed his eyes glistening slightly in the setting sun. Before she could say anything though, he had blinked hard and the tears that were, existed no more. "I'm sure we all would be."

Lily's heart melted and not for the first or last time, she longed for Scorpius Malfoy.

* * *

_Author's Note: I apologise for the lateness of this story. I have the worst case of writer's block - like I know where my characters are going but I don't know how to articulate how they get there. But I have my Easter holidays soon and hopefully I was catch up on my college work and then I can write some more chapters! I hope you enjoy this chapter and remember to **review!**_


	11. Wedding Bells

"Let's get to the wedding planning!" Aunt Audrey squealed, clapping her hands together and conjuring a notebook and Muggle pen.

Already Lily wasn't looking forward to the next few hours of flower arrangements, cake decorations and centrepieces. Under much duress, she'd been forced to sit and endure the girliest of conversations while her brothers were outside in the summer sun, most likely flying above them playing Quidditch.

Lily grumbled quietly into her glass of lemonade.

"Just smile and nod. It'll be over before you know it," Dominique whispered, leaning on Lily's shoulder reassuringly. At least she wasn't alone in the torture, although Lily knew Dominique enjoyed it all more than she let on.

Pouring herself another cup of tea with her wand, Grandma Weasley cleared her throat. "Have you set a date for the wedding?"

"Ah yes," Victoire replied, practically briming with excitement. "The 16th of August."

The hovering teapot shattered to the ground as everyone in the room took a collective gasp. Less than a month to plan a wedding. Dominique spluttered into her lemonade, spilling some down her chin. Even little Lucy, who was playing with her doll by the fireplace, stopped what she was doing, dangling the doll distractedly by the leg.

From Grandma Weasley, the sharp intake of breaths rattled her ribcage. "Oh god! She's hyperventilating," someone gasped and Lily's mother quickly hurried to her side, waving her wand to clear up the mess. Soon Grandma Weasley's breaths became slower until they were back to normal and Ginny had poured her another cup of tea.

"Sorry dears," she said gently, still a little breathless.

"It's not too soon, is it _grand-mére_?" Victoire aske worriedly although all her cousins knew what she was trying to do. French always seemed to soften Grandma up.

It worked. "Of course not. It was a shock that's all dear." With another sip of her tea, Grandma Weasley sighed and quickly the conversation picked up.

"I can ask Adams in Printing at the Prophet if he'll help with the invitations?" Lily's mother offered.

"_C'est parfait_." Victoire gasped, the excitement surfacing. "We've decided on a very vintage theme, like the black and white films Teddy used to take me to. Everyone and everything must be in black or white."

"Or grey," Aunt Fleur interjected.

"Has anyone told Uncle Charlie?" Rose asked, clearly trying to find a way into the conversation. "Because he usually need pre-warning so he can make these events." At the sound of Rose's snooty voice, Lily rolled her eyes, stifling giggles as she watched Roxanne from the across the room do the same. On the other hand, Molly was too busy buried in her book to barely acknowledge her surroundings.

"I sent him a letter once we found out," Grandma said, refilling her tea manually this time.

Fidgetting in her chair, Audrey scribbled something on the parchment that was resting on her lap. "Do you think he'll bring someone with him?"

"Probably not. It's always been dragons first and life second with Charlie," Ginny joked, erupting into laughter with the rest of the family.

"What about the location?" Aunt Angelina asked. "Are you having it here at the Burrow?"

"Actually, Teddy had an idea to have the wedding where we first kissed. So we checked with the council and they said we can have the wedding on the beach just below Shell Cottage," Victoire said, blushing slightly.

All the adults sighed into unison. "That's so cute," Angelina squealed in a very non-adult manner. "All your Uncle George did was sneak me off to Las Vegas."

From this point onwards Lily practically zoned out. Her thoughts wandered randomly, focusing on nothing in particular. She bounced from Quidditch, to the wedding, to the dress Ariana had chosen for her, to the Potions homework she was dreading when she got home.

It was only at the end of the conversation when Lily came back into it, thanks to a hard nudge from Dominique. She had felt her eyes drooping and it wouldn't be nice falling asleep when she was supposed to be focused on the wedding planning.

"What about the bridesmaids?" Aunt Audrey asked. She was flexing her wrists like it ached from all the writing so Lily assumed she had missed a lot.

Sitting up straight, Dominique crossed her legs, looking at her sister. "Vic, Sophia and I were talking about it and came up with the idea that every bridesmaid wears a different white dress – one they choose themselves to represent their own style."

"And Sophia is picking us up soon and taking all us girls shopping for dresses," Victoire added.

On queue, from outside the house came the loud honking that they had all been expecting. "That'll be her," Victoire clarified, reaching over to grab her purse. Immediately, Lily and the rest of her female cousins stood up, preparing to leave. They had all been made bridesmaids with Victoire's best friend, Sophia Mills, from Hogwarts being her maid-of-honour.

Quickly they said goodbye to their mothers, Molly being constantly reminded to look after Lucy and make sure she didn't run off or get left behind. Sneakily, Lily reassured her Aunt Audrey that she'd keep an eye on her before catching up with everyone outside the Burrow.

"This is so exciting," Dominique squealed as she linked arms with Lily and pulled her towards the minibus that was parked just beyond the gate. "I can't wait to explore all the shops in London. My dress has to be perfect."

"I already have my dress so I doubt you'll look as good as me," Lily teased. This trip was going to be boring enough so she made sure to keep it fun with Dominique and not let her cousin snap at the bride when they disagreed.

Dominique stopped them abruptly, letting Molly pass. "You already have your dress?"

"Not yet but Ariana found me an amazing one in a Muggle magazine and reserved it for me. All I have to do is collect it in the shop."

There was another honk and Lily had to pull Dominique along because she was too busy sending powerless curses at Ariana under her breath for not helping her too. It was common knowledge that Ariana had a way with fashion and could effortlessly sew anything into a masterpiece – it was probably why she was so good at Charms.

Finally they caught up and climbed into the back of the minibus, Lily sitting herself next to Dominique and Lucy. "Is everyone excited?" Sophia squealed in an extremely high-pitched voice. The whole bus, apart from Molly who was already buried in her book, cheered loudly. The minibus revved its engine and they set off for London, travelling at Magical speed.

From her bag, Dominique revealed every Muggle and Magical gossip magazine that had probably been in circulation this month. "Do you want one?" Just as Lily was about to take one, her cousin moved the pile away from her. "Oh wait, there's no point because you've already decided on a dress."

"Don't be bitter Dom," Lily grumbled.

There was no reply and knowing that all her cousin needed was a little bit of retail therapy and they'd be back to their variation of normal, Lily settled into her seat and copied Lucy beside her, who was already asleep.

And soon Lily was too.

###

"My fingers are beginning to cramp," Lily moaned. She leaned back exhaustedly and flexed her fingers. They were stiff and weak, having had every inch of strength zapped from them continuously for the last few hours. She let her head flop back on the sofa and let out a deep sigh.

They had been packing little boxes with gifts from the bride and groom at all their guests. It wasn't the 'putting things in the box' that was the problem though: it was the 'annoyingly fiddly ribbon' that had to be wrapped around each box evenly. If a hand slipped or the ribbon wasn't tight enough, the box would open and a black puff of smoke would enter the air.

Apparently the gifts were from Uncle George, so who knew what they were but he did place a small curse on the boxes to prevent anyone opening them too early.

"Done!" Dominique sighed deeply, throwing the last box at the pile that was mounding in the middle of the Burrow's living room. She relaxed back next to Lily and closed her eyes. "Next time, I'm paying some first years to do this."

"I'll just save everyone the trouble and elope."

"I can't feel my fingers," Dominique cried, moving her hands in front of her face. "I can see them but I can't feel them." The pair laughed to themselves, relaxing their bodies and enjoying the peace.

However it was short-lived. The door swung open, allowing the rambuncious laughter of Albus, James and Scorpius to fill the living room. Lifting her head up, Lily soon noticed what all the noise was about. From head to toe, Scorpius was covered in a thick layer of mud with only small patches of cloth and skin left unblemished by the dirt.

"Oh my Merlin!" Grandma Weasley gasped, clutching her hands against her heart. "You are not allowed in here!" she warned, waving a finger at Scorpius. "Absolutely not! I just cleaned the house. Outside now."

This made the fits of laughter harder for James, Albus, Lily and Dominique as Scorpius sulked his way back out of the house.

"Lily, hose him down please," Grandma Weasley said, before dragging her brothers out of the room, cursing them on their lack of hygiene.

Getting to her feet, Lily hopped over the pile of reception gifts and pulled on her shoes. "Can you get us a towel Dom?" She didn't answer, just laughed in her high tone. Letting out a sigh, Lily left her cousin and stepped outside.

Immediately she had to stifle the giggles. Scorpius really did look ridiculous. "How?" she asked between snickers.

"We were de-gnoming the garden and one dragged me into the next field," explained Scorpius, his voice tainted with humiliation. This confused Lily because he was always the one who could smirk off any situation he found his way into. Apparently the smirk didn't work well in mud.

Quietly laughing to herself, she picked up the nozzle for the hose and switched on the outside tap. Soon enough, cold water was spraying out and Lily quickly aimed it Scorpius. The shock of the temperature sent him hopping and screeching like a little girl, trying to dodge the spray. Now Lily's laughter wasn't very quiet.

"Stop laughing Lily," Scorpius practically screamed, running around the garden being chased by the hose. "It's freezing! Stop!" But Lily couldn't. She was fixed in place, laughing so hard her stomach muscles were aching.

Before the movements could be registered, Scorpius had reached for the hose and was spraying it back at Lily. The water was icy cold and it took no time at all before Lily was replicating the screams of Scorpius. However he seemed to take pleasure in her shrieks, chasing her whilst yelling, "it doesn't feel good, does it?"

Soon enough, both of them were drenched, shivering but still laughing at each other. Especially seeing as they both seemed to have adopted the drowned rat look and were pulling it off so amazingly. Dominique quickly appeared with two towels that had been charmed to warm up.

Showering her in 'thank yous', Scorpius hurried inside to get out of his wet clothes no doubt.

"Have fun flirting did we?" Dominique teased, leaving a cold, wet and extremely confused Lily to wonder what the hell just happened.

###

It was the day of the wedding and already Lily could feel the fatigue settling into her, having been up since six o'clock in the morning. All of the bridesmaids (plus Aunt Fleur) were gathered at Shell Cottage, helping each other get ready and keep Victoire calm. The only exception to the 'all-girl' rule was Matthew, Sophia's son, who was the ring-bearer for the ceremony.

Waiting for Victoire to get control of her emotions upstairs, Lily was in the kitchen, sipping on a glass of water. She had to be careful under threat of Aunt Fleur, who warned her not to wash off her bright red lipstick. However Lily wasn't too bothered because the colour clashed with her hair.

She perched on the countertop, kicking off her heels that were already aching, gulping the last of her water and fixing her hair in the mirror opposite her. For the occasion, she decided to style her hair into messy curls and tie them up in a high ponytail. The only problem was that the ponytail kept flicking in front of her face annoyingly.

There was the sound of delicate footsteps on the stairs and Dominique entered the kitchen, wearing her dirty blonde hair in waves over one shoulder. With her makeup adding to her beautiful features, she was wearing a long floaty dress that tucked in at the top of her hips. Its best feature was the silver chains that draped across her shoulders, embedded with diamond-like gems.

"I hate you."

A grin stretched across Dominique's face. "You look gorgeous too," she said, laughing to herself as she paraded flawlessly to the sink to get a glass of water too. There was a big difference between Lily and Dominique; while her cousin can walk perfectly in her heels, they only enhanced Lily's innate clumsiness.

Raising her eyebrows, Lily watched her cousin sip her drink. "Is she still crying?"

Dominique nodded slowly. "I think they are happy tears. Ever since she realised how to control the Veela part of herself, she's been infatuated with Teddy. It's hard to explain but for those that aren't a full Veela, it's a constant, internal battle against your instincts that draw you towards that one person to love and your insecurities that try and stop you so there's no humiliation," Dominique explained, completely serious. It was interesting to know because Lily had been assuming it was a hormone imbalance.

"Then why is she crying? Teddy is hers and she's about to become his wife."

"Her Veela instincts are overloading her, reminding her constantly of Teddy. Her tears are most likely happy and exciting ones that come out as tears because the response is uncontrollable. Last night she was laughing hysterically at the prospect of marrying Teddy."

Both of them laughed to themselves. Lily hopped off of the counter, refilling her glass halfway and gulping it down in one swallow. Absentmindedly, Dominique flipped a strand of curls from Lily's face, which she had been trying to blow out of the way.

"Don't you two look fit for the occasion?" Albus said, silently appearing at the edge of the kitchen. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a little bowtie and midnight blue trimmings. It looked like someone had tried to tame his hair but had given up to let it do whatever.

Looking her brother up and down, Lily nodded her head, impressed how well her brother cleans up. "Nice to see you made an effort," she remarked. If Albus was here, that meant it was nearly time. Lily bent down to pick her heels up and slip them over her feet.

"Is the bride ready?" Albus asked politely.

"I'll go and check," Dominique said, finishing her water. "And I'll get the rest of the bridesmaids down. We need to get in the order." With a quick and confusing wink at Lily, she paraded herself in a very Veela fashion up the stairs, not wobbling once.

Walking very shakily towards Albus, she linked his arm and together they made their way to the back garden. "You look very handsome," Lily said, leaning against his shoulder. Whether he knew it or not, she was relying on Albus for support as she wobbled.

"I'm just glad your dress stops at your knees. I didn't feel like chasing away a group of hormonal boys at the reception." He nudged her gently and she stumbled. Thankfully Albus had a tight grip on her. "Honestly Lils, you look amazing."

Before he could protest, she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

As they left the house, Lily smiled at all the boys, dressed in matching tuxedos to Albus. Immediately her eyes darted to Scorpius. He looked absolutely breath-taking that she had to hold Albus tighter, before she lost her footing.

"Are you blushing Al?" James said, bending over to get a look at Albus' dipped head. "Oh my Merlin, you're blushing." This sent James and Fred instantly into fits of deep laughter. Now Lily felt slightly guilty for kissing her brother.

Squeezing his arm, Lily released Albus and managed to make her own way to Hugo, without falling flat on her face. "Check you out!" she giggled, hugging her cousin tightly. His tuxedo was the same as everyone else's but he had swept his hair to the side, revealing his face of freckles.

"More like check you out Lils! I think Ariana should consider a career in fashion because this dress is amazing." Taking her hand, Hugo forced Lily to turn for him, which was difficult in heels.

It was true though. Ariana had picked an amazing dress. It uncovered curves that Lily wasn't even aware she had and flattered her body, making her look small, slim and beautiful. The dress itself was simple – a solid white, strapless dress that hugged her hips and had the illusion of her waist being tiny. Above the dress was a layer of lace that stretched beyond the hemline at the bottom, brushing her knees while scaling her collarbone in a rounded shape above the actual dress. Paired with her white heels, a couple of rings and some pearl earrings plus the snake bracelet Scorpius had given her, Lily felt beautiful and looked it too.

As she finished spinning, she took a step back to steady herself. From the corner of her eye, Lily noticed Scorpius looking at her with his mouth slightly unhinged and his eyes very wide. Blushing brightly, thinking of last night's waterfight, she flicked her head forward to hide and the ponytail conveniently swung across her face.

Distracting everyone, Dominique charged her way out of the house, followed by all the bridemaids: Lucy wearing her cute, frilly dress that had lots of flowers on it; Rose in a revealing dress that scrunched up in the middle of her chest with cutouts that exposed her last few ribs; Molly wearing a 50's inspired dress that needed an extra tutu for the skirt; and Roxy in a dress with an asymmetrical hemline and silver studs on the shoulders.

Everyone looked amazing in their own unique ways.

Apparently no one had told the boys how bad Dominique having a clipboard – and essentially power – could be. Within seconds of everyone emerging, she was ordering them all into the procession line, telling everyone to count to fifteen before starting their walk down the steps to the beach where guests were gathered. Lucy and Louis were first. Then me and Scorpius, which explained Dominique's wink. Next were Molly and Hugo, who kept fiddling with their skirt or bowtie. After that was a grumpy Rose and Albus. Then James and Roxy. At the back was Dominique and Fred who would be the last pair before Sophia and her son Matthew followed by Victoire and Uncle Bill.

"Oh my Merlin! You all look so beautiful!" Victoire gushed, emerging from the house. Her eyes began to pool with tears but luckily Sophia was on hand with tissues, whilst wrestling with Matthew over his bowtie. "I can't believe how amazing you all look."

Aunt Fleur gushed over everyone too, insisting she kiss everyone's cheek before hurrying down to the beach to tell everyone they were nearly ready and send Victoire's father up.

"You have a bit of lipstick on your cheek," Lily murmured to Scorpius, hiding her giggles at the red smudge across his face. His fingers scratched at his cheek but it only made the smudge worse. Wandering out of line, Lily wobbled her way to Sophia, got a tissue and managed to get back to Scorpius with no falls. She licked the tissue and wiped the lipstick away, smiling to herself before scrunching it up and throwing it in the bin. "All gone," she mumbled, staring at the floor.

Soon Uncle Bill emerged from the beach, standing star-struck and lost for words at the sight of his first daughter. In all honesty she was breath-taking. Her wedding dress was a tight strapless gown with a mermaid bottom with a train that stretched for three feet. The colour was rich and textured and a vivid red, clashing with her father and four bridesmaids' hair colour. But it was sure going to pull all the attention to her, which is what every girl wants on their wedding day.

"Flowers!" Dominique squealed, walking up the line and handing a bouquet of red, blue and white roses before fitting into the line herself and linking arms with Fred. Looking up from the floor, Lily saw Scorpius with his arm extended to her and a smirk on his face.

From the beach below, a traditional wedding march started up.

"Remember to have fun everyone!" Sophia reminded.

Lucy and Louis set off, very nervous to be going first. It seemed that Lucy was definitely leading their couple. "Ready?" Scorpius murmured as they shuffled to the top of the steps. But Lily was too busy counting to fifteen, not wanting to be a second late.

"Go." Together they made their way down the flights of stairs, Lily having to steady herself on the bar. At the bottom, Lily looked up and saw Hugo and Molly on their way down. Flicking her ponytail from her face, she looked up at Scorpius and smiled brightly. The sand was filling up her heels but it seemed slightly easier to walk.

Leaning down, Scorpius whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful," to which Lily just ducked her head and blushed. But he nudged her persistently. "You have to smile," he said and Lily knew she couldn't hide right now. Her heart was racing and her head was swooning. Perhaps it was the adrenaline flowing through her system but most likely it was the close proximity of Scorpius.

They reached the guests who were all twisted in their seats, smiling at them as they proceeded down the aisle. Lily barely recognised anyone until she got to the front and saw all her aunts as well as her mother dabbing their eyes with tissues. She smiled excitedly at her parents and her mother just lost it, sobbing next to Aunt Fleur who was doing the exact same.

At the end of the aisle was a blue haired Teddy, although the blue was the midnight colour, matching the trimmings on his tuxedo. He was practically beaming at Lily, barely able to stand still. It was now that Lily had to let go of Scorpius and stand by Lucy. With a squeeze, he let her go and thankfully Lily didn't fall.

It wasn't long until all the bridemaids and page boys were gathered, and Sophia and Matthew were slowly making their way down the aisle. In the middle of his walk down, Matthew seemed to get bored and throw the cushion with the rings onto the floor. The guests laughed and with a faint blush, Sophia retrieved the rings and hoisted a clapping Matthew onto her hip.

But the laughter died down instantly when Uncle Bill and Victoire came into view. Instead of watching the father and daughter, Lily turned her attention to Teddy and watched as his jaw dropped dramatically. He licked his lips and Lily suppressed a giggle. She was happy to see her adopted-brother filled with such elation. Victoire reached her soon-to-be husband and the pair shared a brief and hushed greeting before the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt – Dad pulled some strings – stepped up and cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, witches and wizards ... and Veelas, welcome!"

It was a whirlwind of a day that Lily could barely take it all in. The ceremony was beautiful and at the end of it, Matthew caught the bride's bouquet. Afterwards, all the bridesmaids and page boys had to stay and take pictures on the beach before Portkeying to the Burrow, where a big tent had been erected for the occasion.

Lily noted that the garden was free of gnomes.

There was a big meal where Grandma Molly really outdid herself with the food. Everyone ate until they couldn't fit anything else in. And then desert came out and everyone was licking their lips again. Then there were the speeches and it seemed like every woman over the age of twenty was crying into tissues and sleeves. Afterwards there was the first dance, the second dance and the third. And when Victoire had had enough of twirling around, everyone else filled the dancefloor.

Batting her eyelashes and pouting ever so slightly, Rose coerced Scorpius into a dance, making Lily feel like her heart just fell out her ass. Helplessly she watched as Scorpius acted like a gentleman, keeping her at arms-length as they swayed from side to side.

"Can I have this dance?"

Turning around, Lily jumped up and almost fell into Maxy, who managed to keep up from falling to the floor. "Maxy!" She leaned back in his grasp. ""You're looking very handsome today. Who are you trying to impress?" In response, Maxy just raised his eyebrows and the pair of them burst out laughing.

Somehow they ended up on the dancefloor and they were spinning around, chatting about everything that had gone on since the anniversary party at Christmas. Maxy was taking his exams, apparently they do it differently at Durmstrang and was still chasing Rose, who was too caught up in Scorpius to notice.

However it wasn't long until the spinning went to Lily's head and she needed some air. Hinting Maxy to go and find Rose, Lily made her way out of the tent, stumbling a couple of times and nearly twisting her ankle on one of Matthew's scattered toys – he probably threw that down too.

When Scorpius found her, Lily was staring at the hills, watching the sun cast an orange and purple pattern across the sky as day turned to night. It wasn't too cold so Lily didn't actually know how long she had been standing there. But the headache was persisting so obviously it hadn't been long enough.

"I've been looking for you all over," he said, approaching from behind. She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice but managed to compose herself by the time he came to stand by her. "You know, you really looked amazing today!"

"Are you implying I don't anymore?" Lily replied confidently. With a pounding heart, she watched as he stuttered and stumbled over his words. "Calm down Malfoy."

She paused, internally battling whether to say it or not. Eventually her heart won out. "You're looking pretty handsome too," she managed to say, all in one breath.

"Stop Lils, you're making me blush!" Glancing over at him, she only saw his casual smirk. "How about a dance?" He held his hand out and although she didn't want to be pulled into spinning herself to dizziness, how could she say no to him? Caving into her weakness, she placed her hand into his and let herself be guided back inside the tent. Scorpius kept a firm hand on her hips, just in case she fell, which she was thankful for because she nearly did.

Once on the dancefloor, Scorpius wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled Lily in closer. It was a slow song which only required the minimal amount of swaying. Letting go of her inhibitions, she reached up and curled her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. Their bodies were extremely close and this was something Lily couldn't help but notice. From within the layers of fabric and skin, she could hear his heart beat in time to hers and it seemed to be quickening just like hers.

As the final piano chord was struck, there was some terrible feedback as a microphone hummed to life. Looking up from Scorpius' chest, Lily saw her brother plus Fred and Roxy and James' other friend Eddie climb onto the stage with their instruments. Everyone started clapping and in a consecutive movement, all the parents took a step back.

"Hi," Roxanne said, her voice projecting through the microphone with a booming echo. With a twiddle on a black box, the echo stopped and she continued. "We are _Magical Rebels_ and we're going to play a few songs for you!" A deafening cheer radiated around the tent while Roxy looked at the band behind her. "This first one goes to Teddy and Vic!"

"Have fun tonight!" Fred shouted, hijacking the microphone and winking exagerratedly.

There was a pounding drum beat from James and then the whole band kicked in.

But they didn't play just a few songs. Soon they started to take requests and by this point, Lily was exhausted from all the dancing, not to mention her feet were killing her. The likelihood of blisters was 100%. Just as she was about to go inside the house and get some sleep, Teddy hoisted her up onto his shoulder and began jumping around like a lunatic.

"You're crazy!" Lily yelled down at him as they spun their way across the dancefloor. A lot of the adults were laughing from the sidelines and a few pictures were taken, judging by the flashes.

"Guess what?" Teddy leaned back to look at her before realising that she would probably fall off. Instead he just craned his neck. "Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur gave us Shell Cottage!"

"What?" Lily shouted.

"WE GOT SHELL COTTAGE!"

"Woo!" Lily cheered enthuisiastically as Teddy spun her around insanely fast. At the end of the song, he placed her on her feet gently. She reached up to hug him tightly. "I'm so happy for you," she managed to say whilst yawning.

"Just don't forget to visit." And with that, Teddy was off to go and find his wife.

Lily yawned again, stumbling backwards in the process and bumping into Scorpius. "Sorry," she mumbled, covering her mouth to yawn again.

"I think you need to go to bed," he said, wearing his smirk perfectly across his lips.

In response, Lily crossed her arms and popped a hip out. "I would but my feet are about to fall off. I've been dancing in these heels for too long and now I don't think I can walk." It wasn't on purpose but her lips formed a subtle pout.

"Come on," he said, beckoning her closer. Aching already, Lily managed one step before Scorpius had bent down and swung her into his arms, cradling her body close to his. "Let's get you to bed." He started walking towards the Burrow, Lily still in his arms which earnt the pair some weird looks.

"Scorpius put me down."

She wasn't very convincing seeing as she was yawning every time she opened her mouth.

Despite her protests, he carried her all the way to the house, kicking open the door. "You know I thought Teddy would to do this to Vic, not me to you." He laughed lightly and Lily's head swooned.

"I didn't ask you too."

"Lily, you looked like you were about to drop dead on the spot." He let her down on the sofa and pulled a blanket from behind the sofa, draping it over Lily's body. Kneeling down, he took Lily's heels off and put another pillow under her head. "Sleep tight," he whispered.

Already Lily's eyes were drooping. She mumbled something about wanting Scorpius to stay, which he did, running his fingers through her ponytail and pushing it out from her hair whenever it fell in front of her face. It was soothing and for a second, Lily wished it could all be true. On the brink of sleep, she felt his lips press themselves on her cheek. That night, she dreamt of Scorpius.

And he dreamt of her.

* * *

_Author's Note: As an early Easter present, I thought I would grace you all with this chapter. I have to admit this is one of my chapters to write so far and I hope you like it as much as I do. Thank you for reading and if you have a chance, please review!_


	12. Handprints

"That was such a good lesson," Lily beamed as her and Dominique left their Ancient Runes class.

Her cousin was still aggressively jamming her books into her bag. "It was only a good lesson because you know all of the basics already." Flicking her blonde hair back, Dominque took a deep breath and let it all out. "Let's just get to food, shall we?"

"It's not my fault you didn't read any of the books Aunt Hermione gave to you this summer," Lily mumbled as she linked arms with her cousin. That earned her a scowl.

Lessons were over. The halls were fairly quiet so they took a shortcut that would get them one hall away from the Entrance Hall where they are meeting Ariana and Phoebe. As they appeared from behind the tapestry, Lily knocked into a fourth year in her House.

If Dominique didn't have a firm grip on Lily, she would have fallen over.

"I'm really sorry," she said, a bright blush burning her cheeks vividly. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's fine," he said, brushing his cloak slightly. "No injuries." His hazel eyes were staring at her brightly, never straying away. It was kind of weird as Lily shuffled her feet awkwardly.

Thankfully, Dominique pulled on Lily's arm. "We need to go else we'll be late." Lily smiled kindly, like she had been raised to do, before ducking her head and letting her hair hide her. They were halfway down the hall when the mysterious fourth year shouted to her.

He was still stood by the tapestry, wearing a slightly dumbfounded expression. "You're looking really good today Lily." A blush blossomed but thankfully, Lily was being pulled around the corner by her lovely cousin instead of having to stutter an awkward 'thank you'.

"Do you know him?" Dominique asked. But Lily just shook her head in response.

The Entrance Hall was crammed with students, all who were probably meeting up after morning classes. Lily and Dominique both reached up onto their toes and tried to point Ariana and Phoebe. It wasn't that hard. Both of them were perched on the stairs, Ariana's face painted in disgust and boredom. Phoebe was firmly attached to Franklin as they locked lips. That explained Ariana's pained expression.

"Oh give it a rest!" Dominique cried from the bottom of the stairs. Phoebe pulled way long enough to smile brightly at them before taking Franklin's hand firmly and running down the few steps, falling behind them as they started towards the Great Hall and the smell of food.

Instead of sitting themselves at Gryffindor's long table, the group made their way to Slytherin because it was a special day.

"Happy birthday Albus!" Lily squealed, hugging her brother from behind. She kissed him quickly on the cheek before he could protest and pushed Kaleb up the bench so she could sit down. "I've got your present in here somewhere." She rummaged around until she found the package wrapped in silver paper and smiled brightly as she handed Albus his present.

Opposite Lily, Dominique seated herself between Scorpius and Ariana. "Ah food!" Her eyes lit up and she started piling potatoes on her plate. "Oh yeah, happy birthday Al!" She looked up from her plate to offer him a smile before tucking in.

"Slow down there Dom!" Scorpius warned jokingly.

"She missed breakfast this morning because she forgot to do her Ancient Runes homework," Lily explained, trying not to look Scorpius in the eye. "She brought this hunger all on herself."

Quickly swallowing her mouthful, Dominique cleared her throat and frowned hard at Lily. "If you had just let me look at your work, I wouldn't have missed breakfast."

"And let you learn nothing?" Lily exclaimed in mock shock. Their part of the Slytherin table broke into a fit of laughs, causing the surrounding students to zone in on them. Dominique defiantly stuck her tongue out and continued eating. "Now open your present Al!"

A smile stretched across his face as he ripped the paper off of Lily's present, revealing a t-shirt of his favourite Muggle band. "Aw this is awesome Lils. Thankyou!" Albus gave her a brief hug before holding his t-shirt up to get a better look at it.

"I thought you'd need it for this," Lily said secretly. She reached back into her bag, found the small envelope and presented it to a confused Albus. Nodding to him, Lily watched as he pulled out four tickets to his favourite band's concert in London this summer.

"Lily, this must have cost so much!" Instead of a quick hug, Albus slapped both of his hands on Lily's cheeks, squeezing her lips in a weird position and kissed Lily's forehead hard. "You are officially the best sister ever."

"I try!" Lily smiled, flicking her hair off her shoulder dramatically. "I got four so Franklin, Kaleb and Scorpius could go with you."

"Cheers Lilykins," Kaleb said, nudging her shoulder. Lily giggled as Albus grabbed her in another tight hug and squeezed her.

The timid voice of Ariana broke the laughter. "Here's your present Albus." Untucking the hair from behind her ear, she hid her face from everyone and passed a rectangular box wrapped in ribbon, across the table. As she looked up, Lily caught her eye and smiled. Being the centre of attention was never something Ariana liked. Thankfully, everyone had focused on Albus as he opened the box.

He pulled at the knot and lifted the lid. "Wow, thanks Ariana, it's really... What is it?" From the box, Albus revealed a small wooden girl, definitely of Oriental descent, in a patterned dress and palms together in her chest.

Underneath a thick curtain of hair came Ariana's voice. "It's a wooden statue I found in a market while in Japan this summer. It's supposed to be a lucky charm. I thought it would help you, seeing as you're taking your O.W.L.s this year."

"He needs all the help he can get," Scorpius teased.

"Thanks Score," Albus said sarcastically, flicking a fork-full of peas at him. "All jokes aside, thank you Ariana. I'll get Outstandings in every subject for sure." At this, Ariana pulled back her curtain of hair, a shy smile on her lips.

Everyone started tucking into their food at this point, talking animatedly about their classes and what was happening this evening. Lily thought about throwing a party for Albus but the older boys seemed to dodge the idea. It wasn't until James turned up during the middle of lunch, that Lily understood why her brother was being so secretive.

"Afternoon snakes!" James cried, announcing himself in a dramatic manner as normal. "Happy birthday Al. Party at the Shack tonight?"

Peering around Al, Lily stared at her brother. "Where's the party?"

"Lily you're not coming," James replied flatly.

"And why not? Albus is my brother too."

Dominique flipped her hair over her shoulder and cleared her throat, wanting James' attention. "If you don't let us come, there is a very unfortunate chance that Professor Creevey might find out that you're leaving the grounds this evening. Wouldn't that just be a big shame and a waste of all that Butterbeer you've smuggled?"

"Fine! The four of you can come! But no more else I'll spend my entire time making trips to the Willow and back all evening," James said, running a hand through his hair. He was looking up at the enchanted ceiling and Lily knew he was sorting things out in his head. "I need to talk to Fred. Meet me at the greenhouses at 6!" At with that James was gone.

"We better get to class as well," Lily said, checking her watch. She collected her bag and arose from the bench at the same time as Ariana.

Dominique was still fussing with her scarf. "Oh heaven forbid we were late to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Wilson might actually frown at Lily."

###

"Can I borrow this sometime?" Lily whispered. It was starting off to be a weird evening for Lily. She was holding onto her brother under her father's Invisibility Cloak as they walked through the silent grounds of Hogwarts. Although she wasn't sure where they were going, it looked like they were heading for the Weeping Willow.

"Lily I can't imagine my little sister having any need for such a item. Why would you need to sneak around?" James murmured, peering down at an old piece of parchment that he hid from Lily for the most part.

"I'm not as innocent as you think I am," Lily said defiantly. Her Weasley temper flared up at the idea that her brothers still regarded her as a baby.

"To me you are; else I wouldn't get any sleep at night." James slowed his step as they approached the Weeping Willow, wary of its flailing branches that were swinging wildly. "Hit it Fred!" A hand appeared from a hole at the base of the tree and pressed hard on a knot in the tree's trunk. The branches immediately froze still in the air. "Off you go," James said, giving her a little shove.

Hurrying under the suspended branches, Lily sprinted to the base of the tree's trunk, keeping her eyes fixed above her. She heard Fred's voice telling her to follow and without a second thought, Lily was on her hands and knees, crawling through the small space where her cousin had just disappeared. She couldn't see two feet in front of her so she pulled out her wand and muttered _"Lumos."_ Further on, she could see Fred's shoes so she hurried after him.

The path dipped into a slope and Lily had to tuck her wand into her waistband. She needed both hands to steady herself. "Are you alright back there?" Fred called. Lily shouted her reply and carried on. But she didn't have far to go and soon Fred's shoes had disappeared and she was being helped through a trap door. "Just head on up the stairs." Then he went back into the tunnels.

She knew she was in the Shrieking Shack. But she recognised Hogsmeade in the distance and put two and two together pretty quickly. The stairs were old and creaking under the weight of her. At the top, all the doors were closed but Lily heard a high pitched laugh and pushed open the door in front of her.

The room was fairly big with tall ceilings and walls that had been obviously stripped and repainted. There were several random pieces of furniture scattered around the place. At the far end of the room, Lily spotted a few barrels of Butterbeer - they must have been what Dominique was referring too.

"Lily!" Her cousin Roxy came bounding up to her, wrapping her long brown arms around Lily's small shoulders. It made Lily feel even smaller. "Let's get you a drink." She pulled her way through the room and Lily tried to recognise everyone. She saw Scorpius talking to his cousin Eve, with Kaleb leaning on the wall beside them. Franklin and Phoebe were talking quietly in the corner. Albus was in the biggest group, wearing the t-shirt Lily bought him, smiling brightly surrounded by students of all Houses in his year. It was a big turnout.

"How are you Roxy?" Lily asked, finding a couple of armchairs.

Balancing her glass between her legs, Roxy tied her hair in a high ponytail. "I'm good. I've got myself a date for next week's trip to Hogsmeade."

"Who?"

"Nick Johnson from Ravenclaw."

"Brown hair, blue eyes, always reading Muggle books in the library?" Lily had seen him a couple of times while she was doing her homework.

With a big smile on her face, Roxy nodded her head at Lily. "I managed to get him to leave the library and ask me on a date. It just shows you don't need Veela charms to be so irresistible."

"But it never hurts," Dominique said, leaning against the back of Lily's chair. She took a glass of Butterbeer from a passing Slytherin in Albus' year as he walked past her. He opened his mouth, ready to argue for his drink back when Dominique blew him a kiss, bombarding the poor boy in Veela charm before falling into a chair next to Lily, leaving the boy slightly stunned.

"Chin chin!" Dominique said, holding her borrowed drink into the middle for a second before drinking half of the contents.

"Roxy," Lily said, speaking her mind. "How did you guys find out about this place?" It had been annoying Lily's curious nature since she found out where the tunnel led her.

"Uncle Harry told Teddy about passageway because it was built for his father Remus when he was at Hogwarts. Teddy decided to clean the place up and use it as a place to hang out. I think Vic told me that Teddy felt closer to his father while he was fixing the place up. He showed it to me, James and Fred when we arrived. And even though loads of people are here, no one but those in the family know how to get here."

"So it's a family secret?" Dominique asked.

"I guess so."

###

The party was amazing. Everyone was drinking and having loads of fun. Ariana had quickly arrived after Dominique, which Lily was thankful for because it wasn't long before boys started to gravitate to Lily's part-Veela cousin. Leaving the flirting behind them, Lily and Ariana had spent some time with Phoebe while she detached her mouth from Franklin's. They then moved on to Eve, Scorpius' cousin. Afterwards, they found Kaleb who was teasing Lily about her height.

"Can I borrow Lily for a second?" It was Scorpius, looking very handsome in grey shirt tucked into jeans. Lily nodded, passing her drink to Ariana and standing up and brushing her hands on her jeans. Smiling uncontrollably in the twinkle in his eye, she walked behind him, out of the room. "I want to show you something."

They walked down the hall, distancing themselves from the loud chatter coming from behind the door. Scorpius held another door open for her and followed as she stepped inside. It was a small room, about the size of the bathroom at the Burrow. The walls were plain white apart from the far side wall. There were handprints cascading up the wall.

"It's the wall that everyone signs when they come here for the first time." Scorpius was behind her, looking up at the wall just as Lily was.

She crouched down, tracing a big red hand at the bottom of the wall in the middle. Underneath, it had been signed by _'Teddy Lupin - 2013.'_ Lily's mouth dropped open. As she looked at all the hands, moving up the wall, she found Victoire's delicate handprint. Higher up on the wall, she found James' and Fred's and Roxy's and Albus' and Scorpius'. Even Rose had been here. As she placed her hand up against Scorpius', she was nudged in the back.

Behind her, with a tray of blue paint in his hand, Scorpius smirked. "Your turn!"

Looking down from the paint to the wall, Lily rolled her eyes in annoyance. "It may have escaped your notice but I don't think I'm tall enough Scorp."

"Just hop up on my back then." She just raised her eyebrows. "Don't worry, I'm sure you're not as heavy as you look."

For that, she slapped him playfully on the arm.

Scorpius crouched over slightly steadying himself against the wall. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped up. Her legs were wrapped themselves around his waist and settling himself, Scorpius stood up straight. "Here's the paint." He lifted the tray over his shoulder.

The paint was really cold and squelched under her fingertips. She found her spot on the wall and leaned up, placing her hand just above Scorpius'. Then from his pocket, Scorpius produced a Muggle pen called a Sharpie. Lily signed her name and the year. "Very nice," Scorpius said, lowering her to the floor.

"I'm honoured," Lily said.

"You know I think you look really cute but it's missing something." He scanned her outfit and put a thoughtful expression on this face. "I know!" In a flash, he dipped his finger in the paint and smeared it down her nose. "That's better."

"I think you're missing something too." Without giving it another second, Lily ran her hand through his hair, adding blue highlights to his white blond hair. "Oh you look like a whole new person."

"I can't believe you did that Potter!"

But Lily didn't wait around. Giggling to herself, Lily ran out of the room and down the hall. With a look behind her, seeing that Scorpius wasn't following her, she ducked back into the party. The first person she spotted was Phoebe who hurried up to her. She looked very excited and was practically bouncing as she made her way over to Lily.

"Franklin just asked me to the Halloween Ball," Phoebe squealed, gripping Lily's shoulders and jumping up and down.

But Franklin and Phoebe had been in their non-official relationship for months now. "Weren't you always going together? Sorry but I just assumed."

"Nothing's official with us. I feel like we're only getting to know each other but I'm not ready to put a label on it," Phoebe said, leaning against the wall and twirling a strand of hair around her face. "But I'm glad that I'm finally happy."

"Well if you're happy then so am I! And I guess I better take Oscar up on his offer so you won't be at the Ball by yourself." A couple of days ago, Lily's friend Oscar Rutherford, a fellow Gryffindor, had asked to take Lily to the Halloween Ball. She wasn't sure if the girls were going too. Now she had no excuse though she had been holding out for Scorpius to ask her, like always.

Then Phoebe's expression screwed up in confusion. "Why do you have paint on your nose?"

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter took a long time to write and I did have to cut some bits out but I hope it's still coherent. Anyway Lily and Scorpius are getting so cute and I can promise major development in the next chapter - it's one of my favourites! I hope you like this story and if you have any thoughts or issues, just review!_


	13. New Year Fun

Her room was a mess. With her parents constantly nagging at her to clear it up, some would have thought Lily Potter would have made a start. But no. The trunk she took to Hogwarts was open, spilling cloaks and quill, books and socks like it had thrown up across the carpet. Her wardrobe doors were open, revealing piles of clothes – Muggle and magical – with no order to them. Stranded shoes were left across the floor with books bent like tents obstructing the path from the door to the bed. Utter chaos circled Lily. It wasn't a surprise that she could find nothing to wear.

Letting out a dramatic sigh, Lily fell back onto her big vintage style bed with a white metal frame that was decorated with real fairy lights. Instead of landing on the soft mattress, her head smacked against a hard surface (a book). She groaned and pulled it from under her before throwing it in the direction of the floor. It thudded just as a knock brutally attacked her door.

"Albus! Quit trying to break the door down. I'm trying to get ready here!"

The door swung open, pushing several items of clothing and one navy Converse to one side, to reveal Lily's best friend, Ariana May, chocolate locks gathered on top of her head in a Chinese style bun with a few free-falling strands, leaning casually against the door frame. "Is that anyway to talk to your best friend?" She had decided on an abstract, zebra printed dress that was short at the front and reached mid-shin at the back, paired with some white, strappy gladiator sandals.

Ariana surveyed the room with a look of disgust. "Did a bomb go off in here?" Stepping into Lily's room, she closed the door behind her and hopped, skipped and jumped, placing her feet where there was bare floor until she reached the bed. "For the record, this is a mess," she said, over exaggerating her arm movements.

"I'm having a fashion crisis here and all you can comment on is the state of bedroom. Some friend you are." Lily pushed up from the bed, sticking her tongue out playfully before heaving a pile of clothes into her arms. "Search!" she ordered, dropping the pile on Ariana, much to her displeasure.

They both rummaged through the piles in a desperate search. The only difference was that Lily casted the clothes aside, not caring to look where, while Ariana neatly folded the clothes into squares of fabric as she continued. After ten minutes, Ariana gasped as if a lightbulb sparked to life above her head. Faster than a broom, she rummaged and at the end of the minute she laid out an outfit on the bed.

Lily glanced at the miniature grandfather clock by her bed and realised what little time was left. She grabbed the outfit - a baggy white vest top with the American flag printed on the front with worn-out denim shorts – and thanked her best friend. Add some tights and Converse and Lily could definitely pull it off.

Blowing a kiss to Ariana who was picking up the latest edition of Witch Weekly, she gathered her outfit and made her way into her en suite bathroom. On her way, true to her clumsy nature, she tripped over her Potions book. Although she recovered quickly, she earned a round of giggles from Ariana. She bowed gracefully and smiled brightly before leaving.

Not wasting anytime, Lily wiggled out of her sweatpants and oversized Puddlemere United shirt, belonging to James most likely, stowing her wand by the sink. Almost instantly she was dressed, tucking her vest top into her shorts. Once dressed she went to the door and poked her head into her bedroom. "Can you get my mum please?" Ariana made a movement to get up so Lily closed the door focussing on her makeup. After powdering, adding mascara and gold eyeliner, tinting her lips and cheeks red and brushing her long auburn hair, there was a gentle knock at the door. "Come in."

Lily's mother entered with her eyes on the floor of the bedroom. "I thought I told you tidy this up Lily Luna Potter." Her voice wasn't angry. More like sympathetic: everyone was a teenager once.

"Dressing myself became an impossible task. I'd still be in sweatpants if not for Ari. I'll tidy it tomorrow." She shot her mother an innocent smile and watched as her face softened. "Can you curl my hair?" Naturally Lily's hair was more wavy than curly. Without a very handy spell, she would look like a bird's nest and even though Lily knew the spell well, she couldn't use magic out of school.

Whipping her wand from thin air, Ginny ushered her daughter to a chair facing the mirror, standing behind her with a brush and wand in hand. Beginning the routine, Ginny brushed a strand of hair, wrapped it around the wand and muttered the spell under her breath, feeling the wand radiate with warmth. Seconds later, she unravelled the strand to reveal a perfect curl. Blowing out a breath Ginny continued with the rest of Lily's hair.

"Thankyou mum," Lily said, rising from her chair to face her mother and hug her tightly. Ten minutes had past and Lily's beautiful long hair was styled in perfect curls that bounce in response to any movement. Pulling away she surveyed her mother's choice for the evening. "I love the dress!" Her shoulder length hair, redder than Lily's, complimented her navy dress that floated to the floor like dark waves of the ocean.

Ginny gave a little spin for her daughter. "A Christmas present from your father." She beamed brightly. But there was a twinkle in her eye. Clearly she knew that Lily had helped her father with the purchase. How Harry Potter managed to buy gifts before his daughter came along is a mystery to the magical community.

Collecting her necessities into a small shoulder bag, Lily followed her mother out of her room, twirling for her friends who clapped enthusiastically. "Finally," Ariana moaned and Lily sent her a scowl with a smile. Looking around her room, Lily tried to search for some shoes.

"Be downstairs in two minutes," Ginny said, leaving the room before calling James and Albus the same message.

At that point, her favourite cousin with a dirty blonde hair, icy blue eyes and a wide smile knocked on Lily's open door. She styled a pair of dark blue, high-waisted jeans matched with a lacy top that exposed her white bra underneath as well as her stomach. "Have no fear," she exclaimed in a striking, superhero pose. "For Dominique Weasley is here!" The position held for a couple more seconds before all three of the girls burst into laughter and Dominique closed the door behind her.

The three of them gave each other a big three-way hug.

Across the room, Lily spotted her favourite shoes. Actually there was only one. She stumbled through the chaos before grabbing her paint-stained white high-top from the floor and sitting on the edge of her bed. Her laces automatically tied themselves. But Lily couldn't find the other.

"Forgetting something?" Ariana swung her other shoe from side to side by the laces. A playfully smirk was painted on her face and Lily sighed, her shoulder dropping as she shamefully took her shoe and fitted in on her foot, the laces magically tying themselves.

"What would I do without you?" With a kiss to Ariana's chocolate looking, chocolate smelling hair, the three of them laughed down the stairs of Potter's Cottage, meeting Harry and Ginny by the door.

As the three girls stepped from the staircase, Lily's brothers, James and Albus, came in from the kitchen, chocolate crumbs forming in the corners of their mouths as they tucked into the brownies that Grandma Weasley had left for them.

"Boys!" Ginny squealing, conjuring a box of tissue with her wand and handing one to each of the boys. "Those where for everyone and they were for tomorrow." The tissues disappeared and Ginny struck an intimidating pose with her hands on her hips.

James just shrugged, finishing the last of his brownie so Albus took it upon himself to reply. The girls stood back, silently laughing that the boys were in trouble. "We duplicated the batch so nobody would miss out on the brownies. And besides, they are Grandma's! Who could resist?"

"Oh Merlin! In the car now. And please tidy your faces up. We raised you better." Harry began the parade from the house followed by Lily, Dom and Ariana with James, Albus and a scowling Ginny up the rear. They all piled into the car provided by the Ministry, Harry waiting until the end to cast protective charms on the house.

###

The journey didn't take long as the snowy countryside blurred past the windows. Lily sat snugly in between Ariana and Dom, laughing with them about the gossip of their year. At the moment, they were on Christmas break, enjoying their time before they had to return after New Years. It was the last day of December and in two days, they would be back upon the Hogwarts Express.

Within half an hour, London began to flood the windows and although the traffic was as chaotic as Lily's bedroom, the car managed to avoid it all. They swerved in and out of the main roads, shortcutting through back alleys normal cars wouldn't fit through. And soon enough, they had reached the Leaky Cauldron.

Muggles walked past the tired looking pub without giving it a second glance, their eyes becoming distracted by the lights of London surrounding them. Quickly the Potters plus Ariana and Dominique hurried inside, welcoming the familiarity of magic. Spotting Professor Longbottom and his wife Hannah behind the bar, Lily's parents waved them off, warning them to act responsibly before separating.

"I'll get the drinks," Albus said, disappearing quickly into the crowds.

Clapping his hands and rubbing them together, James smirked at his baby sister in his most patronising expression. "This has been fun! We should do it again sometime."He winked cheekily at Lily before walking away. Before he disappeared into the crowd, Lily heard him yell "Hey Fred! Pass us the Firewhiskey!"

Lily couldn't help but laugh to herself. "Come on, let's go find the birthday boy!" She held out her arms and linked with Dom. "Ariana? Are you coming?"

"I might go and help Albus," she said, glancing towards the bar. "We'll catch you up!"

Dom just shrugged, pulling Lily away. "Take your time," she called back with a giggle.

It took a while to make their way through the pub. Sebastian was surrounded by friends when Lily and Dom found him. "Happy birthday Seb!" the pair chimed, kissing one cheek each at the same time. He blushed brightly and those surrounding them laughed.

One laugh was slightly higher than the others. Unlinking her arm from Dom, Lily turned to see Phoebe with a shy smile. Her hair was blonde but not naturally. Being Muggleborn meant she was intouch with Muggles and knew how to get the best of both worlds. "Phoebe!" Lily flew into her tall friend, the pair hugging for a second. "I thought you weren't coming tonight." To look her in the eyes, Lily had to look up slightly. Her height wasn't noticable next to Ariana but standing by Phoebe made her look like a dwarf.

She shot Lily a quick wink. "I slipped away. I brought some Sleeping Draught with me from Hogwarts last term. I'll be back in my bed by the time they wake up." Lily laughted lightly. Typical behaviour for Phoebe.

"Have you seen Franklin?" Without needing to, Phoebe stretched up onto the balls of her feet to look over the majority of Hogwarts, shrinking Lily's estimated size to that of an ant. "Sebastian doesn't know."

"I just got here. But I can-." Her gaze wandered back to Dom who was edging herself as close to Sebastian as possible. She was flashing him a laughing smile whilst flicking her hair back. The Veela magic was up and running, making Dom irresistable. She didn't need Lily. Turning back to Phoebe, Lily smiled. "I'll help you look."

The pair took one last look at Dom, who winked playfully before laughing at whatever Sebastian had been talking about and secretly placing her hand on his chest. With a small giggle, they dived into the crowds, greeting people in their classes and asking how their Christmas was. Phoebe snapped a few times but Lily remained polite, even though Scarlet Ash was droning endlessly about having to give her Great-Aunt a foot massage.

Thankfully, they were spared the details. Albus had nudged his way towards them with their drinks in hand. With a quick goodbye, they left Scarlet and sighed with relief as they met Albus halfway.

"Albus, I owe you one." Lily took a gulp of her Butterbeer and smiled, wiping the foam gathered above her lip. "Scarlet was about to talk about the locations of her Great-Aunt's bunions." For dramatic effect, she shuddered and Albus laughed, though his attention was elswhere.

"I'll just go find Ariana then," he said awkwardly, backing up slowly.

"Wait, do you know where Franklin is?" Phoebe asked, flashing a bright smile.

Albus waved his hand to the sofa area. "He was there when I last saw him." Happy with his response, Phoebe ruffled Albus' hair and led Lily back into the crowd, this time taking extra precautions to avoid Scarlet.

It took a while to wrestle through the crowds. Phoebe kept a vice grip on Lily but even with her pulling, Lily lost her footing a few times. Pausing to stretch back onto her toes, Lily heard Phoebe squeal and let her go, shouting to Franklin as she left Lily in the crowd. Quickly she followed but Phoebe moved like lightning, leaving the clumsy Lily to the dust. But she still pushed past people, her Butterbeer sloshing around her glass.

Close by, she heard Phoebe's signature giggle and Lily charged through the last thread of the crowd. On the way, she lost her footing, tripping on a stray leg of someone and went flying, heading straight for the floor as no one had realised she was there. All Lily had time to do was curse her height and wait for the impact. She winced, expecting to hit the hard, wooden floor.

Instead, she hit something unexpectedly soft in comparison. A gulp of Butterbeer lurched out of her hand, drenching her fingers and whatever she had landed on. Opening one eye at a time, she realised she fell into a chest, dressed in a grey cotton t-shirt with a slow moving stain stretching out from her hand. Lily peered up and was struck by bright grey eyes that gleamed under the lights.

"Nice of you to drop by Lily," he said, drawing her eyes to his lips. They were a soft, pink colour and slightly plumper than what she remembered. Then again, she'd never been close enough to know for sure. He lifted her slightly so her feet were under here and then moved his hands down her body before tucking them behind his back.

"Thankyou Scorpius." She felt the heat rush to her cheeks so her head immediately dropped, curls falling in front of her face to hide. At this point, she focussed on the stain and realised her hand was still pressed against his chest. She snatched it back, cheeks burning brighter. "I'm sorry about the spill," she said quietly, nudging her head to his chest.

"It's nothing," Scorpius said, flourishing his wand and pointing it at the stain. _"Scourgify,"_ he murmured and the stain was sucked into the tip of his wand, disappearing from his t-shirt. "No big deal Lily." He tilted her head up so she could look at his ever-present smirk.

"No big deal? Scorpius, you just did underage magic. In public!"

"Calm down Lily. We're surrounded by underaged witches and wizards. I don't think the Ministry is that concerned with me using a Cleaning Charm." He pulled her into his side for an one-armed hug before messing her hair up. "Be calm Lily!" He said, followed by a wink.

Before going to sit down on a free sofa, she mouthed 'sorry' to him. "Thankyou for staying with me Phoebe Alexis Warren." The sarcasm radiated in her voice and Franklin and Scorpius, who had just sat down next to Lily, laughed as Phoebe pulled her eyes from Franklin long enough to send her an apologetic smile.

Tucking one leg under her and the other bent so she could wrap her arms around it and rest her chin on her knee, Lily settled for talking to Scorpius. "How was your Christmas?" She felt awkward under his stare so she focussed on the bottom of her glass.

Since they had first met, she had developed a harmless crush on Scorpius. Of course he only saw her as Albus' little sister. But that didn't stop her following him and Albus around when they were home for holidays. It took an intervention from her mother to stop her making a complete fool of herself. That had been five years ago. Lily had kept her feelings under the lock and key. He was her big brother's best friend.

"It was boring. If Percy and Eve hadn't shown up, I would have committed suicide. Why grandparents feel the need to repeat stories completely irrelevent with this day and age, I'll never understand." He let out a small laugh and the corners of Lily's lips turned up uncontrollably. His hands ran through his scruffy white blond hair. Unlike his father, Scorpius always wore his hair messy except for special occasions.

"How was your Christmas Lily?"

"The same as last year. Christmas lunch at the Burrow. Oh and Grandma sends her best. Apparently you were missed this year." She sipped her Butterbeer and smiled at Scorpius who immediately burst into fits of laughter. "What?"

Without warning, he took hold of her chin, running his thumb just above her lips, wiping the foam off her face. Her skin prickled with his touch, making her blush. He watched her cheeks redden but didn't draw attention to it.

"I guess I should be flattered by your grandmother's interest. But after last year, sitting opposite your Uncle Ron, I think I'd be safer in werewolf territory on a full moon." This time Lily laughed with him. Her uncle really didn't like Scorpius. He blamed the faults of the war on the Malfoy family. It was an awkward meeting when Albus brought him home to meet everyone.

"Where's Kaleb?"

"He's still on holiday. He should be back tomorrow though. I saw him at the Slytherin Ball though."

"Oh yeah, how was that?" Lily has always wondered about the secret Slytherin Ball that happened every year just after Christmas. You weren't allowed to just attend, you had to be invited. Lily remembered when Albus was invited and how he had to practically beg their dad to let him go. Ever since then, she had been intrigued by the mysterious event.

"It was really boring actually! It's mainly for our parents to catch up and gossip."

"Scorp! Lily!" Albus had broke through the crowd, his hand fixed in Ariana's and pulling her into a free armchair, her sitting on his lap. This was new. "The band are setting up now. James is buzzed!"

"Should we tell Franklin and Phoebe?" Lily and Ariana looked out at the pair only to find she was straddled on top of him. Their lips were glued together with hands running up and down their bodies.

With his constant smirk, Scorpius leaned over, Phoebe and Franklin completely unaware, until he was hovering above them. "Are you two coming up for air?" Lily, Ariana and Albus started laughing as Phoebe pulled away slightly, just to slap Scorpius in the face and take a gulpful of air.

"Satisfied Malfoy?"

Scorpius couldn't answer because Phoebe planted her lips firmly back on Franklin's.

The four of them left the pair on the sofas. Albus was still laughing at Scorpius' slap. His cheek was red still as they left into the function room. It was much bigger and less crowded as many were still in the main part of the Leaky Cauldron. At the far end of the room was a stage decorated with a large banner with the band's name _Magical Rebels _flashing every other second in a series of colours. Orbs of light were floating around the room, bouncing off the walls without a flicker. At the foot of the stage was James and his band members, Eddie, Fred and Roxanne.

"Roxy!" Lily squealed, hugging her cousin tightly. "I haven't seen you since Christmas Day. Did you have a good holiday?"

Recently, Uncle George and Aunt Angelina took Fred and Roxy to Spain for a couple of days. With George working extra hard, creating new inventions that even the Ministry want, they couldn't wait to leave the traditional Christmas lunch and jet off. They arrived back today and Roxy was already looking a little browner than usual. Her skin shimmered with a sun kissed glow, emphasizing her red dress and denim jacket.

"Spain was amazing. It was so hot there! Nothing like England. And the boys? Lily, I think we should plan a holiday for just the girls. The boys were hotter than the climate." Roxy started to fan herself and Lily giggled into her Butterbeer, flapping her hand around to fan her too.

"Maybe wait until Lucy is old enough. She'd hate to not be included."

"Fine, I'll wait for Lucy but Molly isn't coming whether she's old enough or not. She'd make us visit all the museums," she whined, laughing with Lily. Eddie called her name from the other side of the stage. "I'll talk to you later. Enjoy the show!" With a wink she was gone.

By now, the word had spread and people were cramming to get to the front with a clear line of sight to the stage. Whilst waiting from the music to start, Lily sat on the stage by the microphone, swinging her legs. Scorpius soon joined her and nodded to Ariana and Albus who were sharing a private conversation that included a lot of giggles on Ariana's part.

"Feeling left out?" She cocked an eyebrow at the pale boy who shoved her playfully.

"Hardly. More like repulsed." His face still painted a smirk but it seemed to soften to a smile as Lily stared at him more. "Did Ariana mention any feelings for Albus to you?"

Lily shrugged. "Nope. I'm just as surprised as you are." She gulped her Butterbeer, finishing it before leaving it on a floating tray and picking up two more for her and Scorpius.

"What's up witches!" Dom strutted towards us, Sebastian in tow. Lily giggled as Scorpius raised an eyebrow at Dom. "And wizards of course." She seemed very tipsy at the least; her movements swayed and staggered. It was very amusing to watch the differences between Sebastian and Dom and Ariana and Albus. Two completely different ends of the spectrum.

Someone nudged her elbow and Lily turned to face Scorpius. "Feeling a bit like a fifth wheel?" He tipped his head towards those in front of them and smirked.

"More like a unicycle caught in the wrong room," she said, winking before turning around to check the band out and waving at James. He didn't seem very happy but when he caught Lily's wave, his smile erupted and he waved his drumsticks in response. "They're about to start."

Both Lily and Scorpius jumped off the stage just as Roxy took to the microphone. The crowd behind them exploded into cheers and whoops. At first Roxy just tested the microphone, her voice booming across the room. After a brief introduction, James kicked in a beat and the band began their first song. The room cheered and Dom, who was next to Lily, went berserk, shaking her hair and jumping around as well as kissing a shocked Sebastian. Firewhiskey was clearly the reason for her behaviour.

As the bass thundered across the floor, Lily began bouncing around in time to the music, turning her head from side to side so her curls swung free. Her arms stretched above her, holding her Butterbeer and waving to James. He spun his drumstick, pointing it at her before smashing a cymbal with it. Next to her, Scorpius was jumping too but more reserved than her.

"RELAX!" she shouted above the music, her lips pressed to his ears. She had to hold his shoulder to balance because she was on tiptoes and yet still smaller than him. "Have fun!" she said directly into his ear. He shot her a classic smirk before bouncing, his messy blond hair sticking up like Albus.

Their set went on for over an hour. Everyone loved them, bodies bounced in synchronisation as Roxy sang her heart out with James on drums and Eddie and Fred both on guitars –Fred sometimes on the bass too. Lily was enjoying herself. Thanking Merlin she didn't wear heels with all the jumps she was doing, she downed the last of her Butterbeer, dropping the glass to the floor and continuing to jump with Scorpius who had seemed to lighten up.

But after a while, the room started to spin. She hadn't drank nearly enough to even wobble but that didn't stop the colours from blurring together. The floating orbs of lights seemed to swirl in curious patterns. All of a sudden, her legs turned to jelly and her head started to pound in pain. A tingling sensation behind her eyes made her close them to stop the pain and she suddenly felt claustaphobic. After a couple of sways, her legs gave out and she crumpled in a small heap on the floor. Voices echoed around her, some louder than others and then darkness surrounded her with silence.

###

When Lily came to, she was disorientated. From a distance, she could hear Roxy's voice and the music accompanying it. Lily tried to recall what happened as she took in her surroundings. She was sat at one of the tables outside the Leaky Cauldron, looking out at Diagon Alley. The last thing she remembered was a voice, louder than even Roxy which was magnified. The voice called out for her. A siren in the darkness. But Lily still couldn't understand what had happened.

"You fainted." The voice came from behind her and as she turned to look, she moved her head too quickly and pain rushed to the front of her forehead. An groan escaped her lips and instantly a hand was on her leg, offerring her a glass of water.

Lily pulled her head from her hands, taking the glass and raising it to her lips. Her eyes darted to the one that had helped her and was surprised to see Scorpius. His grey eyes were flooded with worry and immediately Lily felt guilty. Taking a sip, the cold water cleared her head, helping the pain cease.

"Thankyou," she murmured into the glass. His hand left her leg as he pulled a chair closer to her so their legs were touching.

"Let me feel your temperature." Lily lifted her head up, flicking curls from her face as Scorpius placed his cool hand across her forehead. Again her skin prickled under her touch and the blood quickly rushed to her cheeks. "You aren't as hot as you were, which is good. Just keep drinking," he urged and she took large gulp of water before resting the glass on the nearby table.

Instead of taking his hand away, he moved it to cup her right cheek. The prickles followed his movement and Lily heard him sigh deeply before taking his hand away, leaving her skin cool from his touch.

"Do you feel any better?"

Lily took a lungful of the cold night air and closed her eyes, nodding. A slight winter breeze had picked up and she shivered. Her eyes opened to watch Scorpius take his jacket off and wrap it around her body. As he leaned closer, Lily could feel his hot breath on her skin and her breathing hitched. She fitted her arms in the sleeves and buried her cold hands in the pockets.

Leaning closer to him, Lily said "Thankyou." Her eyes watched his as they stared at her lap. She gently placed her lips on his cheek to support her previous statement. Abruptly, his eyes darted to hers and she smiled, reaching forward to take his hand in hers. They continued to look at each other until the worry had evaporated from his eyes.

Without realising it, Lily began to memorize his features. She couldn't help but love his mysterious grey eyes and how they would lighten and darken according to his mood. The flush of his cheeks wasn't quite as prominant as hers when she blushed. Her gaze fell to his lips; the plump pink lips that Lily had often fantasised about kissing.

Disregarding other previous thoughts, all the doubts and responsible reasoning telling her not to do so, Lily moved closer until her lips pressed gently against his. At first, Scorpius seemed taken back, pulling away. Instantly Lily felt hurt and stupid. But then his lips were against hers and all Lily could manage to think about was him. She pushed herself from her chair, sitting herself on his lap with her arms around his neck and her hands tangled in his hair. His hands were forceful but gentle as they pulled her closer to his body until they were against each other.

In the moment, Lily filled herself with elation. As their lips moved, she couldn't help but feel like this was perfection. His arms seemed to fit around her like they were made to hold her frame. Their lips fused together like pieces of a puzzle. Everything was amazing and Lily was too overwhelmed with happiness as she kissed Scorpius to panic that she had no idea what she was doing.

It was her first kiss.

But he was Scorpius. Yes, the boy who she had had a crush on since she was younger. But yes, the boy who was her brother's best friend. The thought of Albus pulled her lips away and the happiness fizzled out like burning parchment.

She rested her head against his and watched as their chests heaved together. The hot breath leaving her mouth faded into mist, clashing with the cold air surrounding them. They were silent for a few minutes until they had both caught their breaths.

"Lily," he sighed, a longing plaguing his voice. It brought something new to his voice. Something she'd never heard before this night. But she couldn't think anything of it. "Lily?" he repeated, but this time, his voice was questioning.

"No," Lily murmured, pushing her hands from his chest and getting to her feet. "I can't do this. We can't do this." She watched as he stood up with her and grasped her hands so she couldn't leave. But Lily didn't think she could even if she wanted to. Her eyes were glued to his, guilt flooding her as she watched the hurt grow on his face.

"I don't understand."

"We can't do this." This time, she emphasized each word, trying to persuade herself into believing what she was saying. "I want this. Trust me, you have no idea how much I want this. But it's wrong. I can't do this to Albus."

"Screw Albus!" She knew he didn't mean it. Albus was as special to him as he was to her. They both accepted each other for who they were and not the surname they were born with. Together they weren't Potter and Malfoy. It was Albus and Scorpius. Al and Scorp. Nothing should come between that.

"He's my brother," she pleaded and the salty tears began to build up in her eyes. She wouldn't let him see her cry. Nobody but her parents had seen tears fall from her face. She was a Potter. Strong and brave. Afraid of nothing. She could do this. "I can't hurt Albus. He'll feel betrayed. I can't do that to him." Scorpius dropped her hand and staggered backwards in a drunken manner, falling into his chair. He ran his hands part way through his hair before he dropped his head, his shoulders falling with him.

With one last ounce of courage, she leaned over and kissed his hair, taking a gulpful of his scent with her. "I'm sorry," she breathed before leaving him alone in the courtyard and running straight for the fireplace. With a fist of Floo powder, Lily returned home, running up the stairs.

But she waited until she was in her bedroom before she let the tears stain her cheeks.

* * *

_Author's Note: I've decided to upload this because I'm a bit sad and I could really use your words of love for this story to cheer me up. This was the chapter that I first wrote when I had the idea for this story. I really hope you like it because now it gets exciting. Lily and Scorpius have finally admitted their feelings but damn Albus. What an ass!_


	14. All About A Kiss

Waving frantically, Lily leaned out of the window and watched her parents disappear around the bend as the train set off on its journey back to Hogwarts. She smiled weakly to herself before taking a deep breath of cold air and closing the window, just as all three girls in the compartment plus Hugo turned to stare at Lily.

She knew why they were staring at her and for that, she mentally cursed Scorpius Malfoy and his lips especially. After she left Sebastian's party, everyone - which meant just her mother - was worried sick, seeing as no one knew where she was. It wasn't until Scorpius told Albus that he thought Lily went home, what the whole family - meaning her mother - breathed a sigh of relief. And sure enough, her dad found her fast asleep in bed, with her tear stains dry.

But that didn't stop the earful she got when she went down for breakfast or the next the earful she was about to get now.

"Nothing happened guys so you can quit frowning at me right now." Only Hugo's expression softened. "I fainted, Scorpius carried me out, got me a glass of water and when I felt better, I Flooed home." Even she could hear the lie in her words. The memories came flooding back as they had been in the last few days. She could feel his lips on hers, warm and soft. Her hands felt empty without having fists full of blond and scruffy hair to hold. Over and over, her mind played the most perfect twenty seconds of Lily's life on repeat., torturing her with what she could never have.

In the compartment, there was silence. When Lily looked up from her lap, she couldn't help but smile at how unimpressed her friends were with her story. Ariana had one eyebrow cocked - something Lily had never managed to accomplish. Both of her cousins were wearing hard faces with their arms crossed. Even Phoebe was frowning, though Lily knew she would probably spend the next five hours worrying about premature wrinkles. Lily wasn't fooling anyone, not even herself. Letting out a deep breath, she let her eyes fall to her lap, where her fingers were twisting in worry.

"I kissed Scorpius!"

There was a collective gasp as Lily squeezed her eyes shut and wished she could just Disapparate from this situation. The silence was so deafening, Lily had to peak through her hair to see their reactions: every jaw was dropped. Phoebe was the first to recover.

"Shut the front door!" she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

"Pheebs, the door is closed," Hugo said, looking confused by the comment.

"It's a Muggle expression Hugo," Ariana explained. Then she turned her attention back to Lily, making her gulp hard. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Lily just shrugged, tucking bit of hair behind her ear. "I felt so embarrassed, I really just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Telling you guys is hard enough."

Pulling her legs up so her head was resting on her knees, Dominique seemed to have recovered enough too speak. "How did it happen? You didn't make a fool of yourself by flinging yourself at him, did you?"

"Oh I definitely made a fool of myself," Lily began. "But I didn't throw myself at him. He was feeling my temperature and before I knew it, I was looking into his bright grey eyes and immediately I lost all logical reasoning and kissed him. Please bare in mind that I had just regained consciousness."

Excitedly, Phoebe released a squeal and clapped her hands together. "This is perfect. Now you and Scorpius can double date with Franklin and me." Her eyes were alight and it was obvious she was already planning their next trip to Hogsmeade.

"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon Pheeb," Lily said with resounding sadness. Phoebe's brow furrowed in confusion so Lily quickly explained. "After the kiss - well actually it was during the kiss - I realised that my crush on Scorpius could only ever be a crush. Albus is my brother and Scorpius' best friend. I know he would feel hurt and betrayed and I can't be the cause of that. I won't be."

"Don't you think he'd be happy for the two of you?" Ariana asked in her timid voice.

It was Dominique who answered. "Lily's right. To Albus, Scorpius is more than his best friend. When Albus was made a Slytherin, Scorpius was the only one to support Albus. Even when the entire house iced him out and made sure he didn't feel like he belonged, Scorpius was there to pull Albus from some really bad places, right Lily?"

Lily was staring back into her lap, remembering the worry her parents went through when Professor Creevey had informed them of the bullying Albus was going through. Tears brimmed but she held them back, nodding along with Dominique. She didn't really need to listen; already she had enough reasons not to be with Scorpius.

Dominique continued. "If Lily and Scorpius did get together, it would mean Scorpius betrayed his best friend - his brother in every sense but blood. Albus will go back to his dark place and who knows if he'll come back out."

"Now you see why I can't do that to him?" Lily pleaded quietly.

But no one answered. The compartment was practically silent apart from the cranks from the train and the crowds outside their door. Shuffling up the bench, Ariana wrapped her arms around Lily, pulling her in for a tight hug. "I'm sorry Lils. I knew how much you liked him." Her fingers traced mindless patterns on Lily's back, soothing her gratefully.

"I'm fine," Lily said, lifting her head up and flicking her hair from her face. Even though the statement wasn't true right now, Lily hoped that one day, everything would be.

"What I want to know is: is he a good kisser Lils?" Dominique was literally on the edge of her seat in anticipation, bouncing excitedly. Everyone else was laughing.

Lily's smile stretched widely across her face. "Dom I couldn't possibly kiss and tell." She watched Dominique's twinkling blue eyes dim in disappointment and sighed in relief. It was so nice just to relax and have fun with her friends. "Sorry," she said casually, shrugging her shoulders.

"You know what Dom? I think Lily needs some motivation," Hugo said in a very nonchalant way, too casual for Lily's liking. He winked at his blonde cousin, who's Veela smile grew wide and all of a sudden, their attention turned to Lily. In a second, both Weasley's had leapt off their bench and were tickling Lily into submission.

She was giggling uncontrollably, limbs flailing wildly as she lost control of them. Somehow she had ended up on the floor of the compartment, Dominique and Hugo on top of her, laughing maniacally and tickling every inch of her body.

"Do you give up?" Dominique asked between giggles.

"Yes!" Lily shrieked. But the tickling didn't stop and Lily was finding it hard to breathe. "He was amazing! It was the best kiss ever!" she shouted. Satisfied with her reply, Dominique and Hugo ceased tickling and climbed off Lily, seating themselves back on the bench. Instead of getting up, Lily just laying there, enjoying the jostling of the train with closed eyes.

"Oh my god guys! You don't think I have wrinkles on my forehead do you?" Phoebe asked frantically. Lily guessed she was probably looking in the window at her reflection for a better look. Instantly the compartment was echoing in laughter.

###

"We'll be down in a second," Lily said, looking at her trunk in despair. Her and Ariana still needed to unpack so while the rest of the girls went down to the common room to catch up with everyone, they were left alone.

Starting with her shirts, Lily moved to the chest of drawers in the corner that she shared with Dominique and Ariana and pulled open her drawer, placing all but one of her shirts. The last one she put on her chair for class tomorrow. Next were her skirts and as she was packing them in her drawer, she spoke up. "Ari, what's going on with you and Albus?" She knew she didn't want to ask her in front of everyone because Ariana would freeze up with shyness. Lily knew she was more likely to spill if they were alone.

"Nothing," Ariana replied quickly in a high pitched version of her voice.

Lily snapped her head towards her best friend and frowned. "You can't fool me Miss May. I saw you and Albus at Sebastian's party acting all cosy. I merely want to know what happened while I was unconscious."

"You mean kissing Scorpius?" Ariana countered.

"Don't change the subject Ariana! You can tell me. I promise I won't judge even though I have no idea what you see in him." Throwing a skirt on the chair with her shirt and tie, Lily climbed over her bed and moved a pile of neatly folded shirts, sitting down next to Ariana. "I'm your best friend darling. I told you about Scorpius and that was humiliating. Please?"

"I don't think there's much to tell. I helped him with the drinks and he said I looked really pretty." A blush bloomed across her cheeks and Ariana dropped her head, resting it on Lily's shoulder. "It was all very surprising. I mean I've liked him for ages but I would never do anything. He's your brother."

Lily just laughed. "It seems we're both in the same predicament. Why are best friends so attractive? Me and Scorpius; Albus and you? The only difference is that I don't mind." She wrapped an arm around her best friend and leaned her head against hers. "But just so you know, he forgets to wash sometimes."

"You don't know that anything will happen," Ariana answered. It was obvious in her voice that she was worried whether Albus felt the same way. "He didn't kiss me that night. He probably thinks I'm too fat. Do you remember his last girlfriend, Marissa? She was thinner than a quill!"

To Lily, Ariana was not fat. Not even remotely. In fact, Lily often envied her best friend; she had big hips that gave her curves that Lily could only dream of and whilst Lily's boobs had appeared over the summer, they were nothing compared to the big ones Ariana made use of. However she was worried too. Albus was a lot of things including stupid. Would he catch on that Ariana liked him?

"I don't stand a chance!" Ariana admitted, already sounding like she'd lost.

Moving to get a good look at her, Lily frowned and pouted her lips. "Miss May, for one thing, you are not fat! And secondly, Albus is a bit dense sometimes which means you may have to show him how you feel. We think he was dropped on his head when he was little." She watched as a smile broke out on Ariana's face and smiled herself. It would be weird if they did start a relationship but at least Lily knew where he lived if he ever hurt her. "I say go for it!"

Ariana ducked her head, hair falling in front. She sighed heavily and shrugged. "I guess we'll see." And then she was up and moving, taking her neat piles of clothes to her drawer.

Sighing loudly, Lily got up and started unpacking again. She hung her cloak on one of the post of her bed, threw her school sweater on her chair and then looked helplessly at her messy pile of clothes. Granted she wasn't very good with tidiness. Looking up, she saw that Ariana was practically finished, putting a pair of pyjamas under her pillow. Lily opened her mouth to speak.

"Don't even think about it Lils. I helped you in September. It's time you learned how to put your own clothes away," Ariana said. At least Divination was paying off for Ariana. She must be top of the class with her skills unless Lily was that predictable. It was probably the latter.

Huffing angrily, Lily frowned like a little girl. "You are a terrible best friend."

"I know. But one day you'll thank me." Ariana shot Lily a bright smile that was tainted with sarcasm. In response, Lily stuck her tongue out and threw a pair of socks back into her trunk aggressively. "I'm going down to the common room," Ariana said as she lifted her trunk and shoved it under her bed. "Don't be too long!" With a kiss to the air, Ariana disappeared out of the dormitory.

Groaning to herself, Lily knew there was nothing else to do but actually put her clothes away. First she rummaged through her trunk and found all her underwear and socks, deciding to tuck them into a corner of her drawer. She had a couple of books which she put with the rest under the table by her bed. It wasn't until she found a denim jacket at the bottom that Lily actually stopped.

Her legs grew weak and she crumpled on the floor, the jacket in her clenched grasp. It was Scorpius', the jacket he gave her in the courtyard when she had been cold. Instantly it brought back all the memories of that night and Lily groaned. How many times would she have to relive it? The mere thought of the kiss had her head in her hands, which were full of the jacket. Breathing deeply, she caught a small scent off the jacket, Scorpius' scent. It was exactly like she remembered from that night - vanilla mixed with the smell of new books and freshly dried ink.

Getting to her feet, Lily sat on Dominique's bed opposite hers and fitted her arms in the sleeves of Scorpius' denim jacket. It was slightly too big for Lily's small frame, the sleeves reaching slightly further than her fingertips and the bottom hem reaching to her bum. She pulled the front of it up to her face and breathed in deeply, falling back on the bed in the process. It reminded her so much of Scorpius, it was overwhelming. Giving herself this moment, Lily let her mind drift to the Malfoy boy, remembering her lips pressed against his, his bright grey eyes changing slightly with his moods - darker when concerned and bright when happy.

And she heard a giggle from outside her dormitory.

Lily sat up straight and mentally shook off the memories of Scorpius. She took the jacket off and folded it neatly, placing it gently at the bottom of her trunk like it was something fragile and precious. To Lily, it was. Then she gave up on putting her clothes away. It wouldn't distract her from her thoughts of the handsome Slytherin. Instead, she threw her trunk to the foot of her bed with a loud thump, storming out of the dormitory, in search for her friends.

All Lily wanted to do was catch up with her friends in the common room, chill out before lessons started in the morning and then go to bed, whilst forgetting completely about Scorpius.

But James had other ideas for his little sister. The tall seventh year was standing in front of her after dragging her into a quiet corner as soon as she entered the common room. His Quidditch Captain badge was sparkling clean against his robes, proudly placed for all to see.

"What do you want James?" Already Lily was becoming impatient. Her hip was popped out at the side with her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the floor.

"I have an offer to make you. Gardner has apparently been in St Mungo's all holiday and still isn't back. Now I need a Seeker for the game against Hufflepuff in a couple of weeks. I need you Lily." He looked desperate as she pleaded Lily with his big hazel eyes.

"Mmm."

"Please Lily," James moaned. "I'm begging you."

But Lily didn't want to rush the decision. She needed to think. "Give my some time on this. But I'll definitely consider it." Before James could guilt-trip her anymore, she ducked out of the corner and ran out of the common room in search for a quieter place to think.

She did love Quidditch, it was in her blood to love it. The way her hair would whip back in the wind and the adrenaline would flow through her veins, it made her happy unlike anything else. But she didn't fly that often because her brothers would never let her: however being Ginny Potter's daughter meant that she had had her own personal coach.

Yet there was one question still on her mind. Would she be good enough for Gryffindor?

Without thinking about it, Lily had found her way to the Astronomy Tower, seeking out somewhere to be alone with her thoughts. Turns out, she should have picked another tower because someone was already looking out at the grounds. And they had noticed Lily.

"Oh I'm sorry," she quickly mumbled, backing out immediately. "I'll just go," she said more to herself.

But then the silhouette spoke and Lily froze. "Lily, wait! I need to talk to you." It was Scorpius, his white-blond hair shining brightly in the moonlight. He reached out for Lily and took her hand before she could back further away.

There they stood, staring at each other's faces in the moonlight. Lily's hand felt warm as it held onto Scorpius', fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. It was a moment Lily wished would last forever but reality crashed and Lily snatched her hand back in reflex.

"What do you want Scorpius?" She crossed her arms to stop herself from reaching out for him and pouted so she couldn't smile.

"I don't regret it," he said, his voice soft and gentle. "I'd been waiting to kiss you for months."

Months! Lily felt her head reeling at this information; Scorpius had liked her for months. So she made an admission of her own. "I don't regret it either." Her voice was small but spoke the truth because as much as she hated herself for it and wished there was a way to not hurt Albus, it was a moment Lily would never forget - her first kiss.

"Then we should be together," Scorpius said, his voice alive with false hope. He stepped forward and pulled her hands towards him. "This feels right Lils." Instantly Lily pulled her hands away from him, tucking them behind her back.

Instead his hands took hold of her cheeks, gently caressing them with his thumbs. Without realising it, Lily closed her eyes and leaned into his palms, seeking the warmth they brought. "Tell me this doesn't feel right to you." His voice was closer than expected so Lily opened her eyes.

She saw the intent, saw his face moving closer to hers and yet did nothing to stop him. "You belong with me," he whispered and then lips were pressed against hers, gently but firmly.

It was as if the world had fallen away, leaving only Lily and Scorpius with the moon above. The kiss was better than before, perhaps because she hadn't just been unconscious. His lips moved slow and soft, his hands sliding down her side and pressing the bottom of her back towards him. As she tried to keep up, tried to convince him and herself that she knew what she was doing, one hand pressed itself on his chest, the other stretching to knot itself in his hair. Scorpius' hair! It was Scorpius!

Her hand immediately fell to his chest and with all the willpower she possessed, pushed him away. "Albus," she murmured as if that was enough of an explanation for him.

A smirk curled on his lips, confusing Lily. "No I'm Scorpius. It's a bit creepy that you're thinking of your brother at a time like this," he joked, caressing her cheek with his thumb again. He leaned down to kiss her lips but instead found her forehead as Lily quickly ducked.

"Someone has to think about him. If this became anything and he found out, he would be crushed. I can't do that to him and I know you can't either." All Lily wanted to do was leave, but Scorpius still had a hand on her waist.

"We don't have to tell him. Not straight away."

"And lie to my brother? I couldn't do that. I couldn't look him in the eyes and lie to his face. It would truly be betraying him and I know you can't see how this will right now but trust me, it's better this way."

His hands fell away from her body in defeat. She watched his shoulders slump and his head drop. Ignoring what she wanted to do, which was hug him tightly and kiss him until she was breathless, she bit her lip hard and left, running down the flights of stairs as fast as she could. In minutes she was back in the Gryffindor common room.

It wasn't hard to find James, just follow the laughter. When he saw Lily coming towards him, James jumped out of his seat and met her halfway, leading her to the side where it was more private.

"I've thought about your offer and decided to say yes. I will be your new Seeker." For one, Lily knew she needed to do this for her brother - she was truly honoured to have been asked seeing as she was rarely allowed to play with them. But Lily knew that the extra training would provide a much needed distraction with Scorpius.

James looked absolutely ecstatic at Lily's decision. He lifted her up and swung her around like a doll. By the time he put her down, she was starting to feel sick. But the look on James' face made Lily sure she'd made the right choice.

* * *

_Author's Note: Damn Albus for getting in the way. Can't he just get a new best friend? I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have an exam this week so the next one may take some time ... Or no time at all if I get really distracted :D_

_And thank you for all the feedback I got from the last chapter. It was lovely to hear from you guys!_


	15. Nerves

"Are you calling me fat James?!"

Shock washed over James' features and for once in his life, he couldn't find the right words, choosing to stumble over them instead. "It's just - I mean - I just - I need you to be as light as possible Lily. I say it because I care," he finished with a weak smile.

Lily huffed in anger, her hair flaming redder than usual. "I think I might eat my breakfast elsewhere thank you very much." Picking up her bowl of fruit, she climbed from the bench and began walking away.

Clearly thinking he'd won, James called after her. "Stay away from the bacon Lils." In response, Lily stuck her middle finger up to the ceiling as she walked away; she'd seen a Muggle woman do it on the TV once.

Already Lily was regretting she agreed to become the next Seeker. James had been working her to the bone, controlling her diet, organising early and late private training sessions that left Lily thoroughly exhausted. She was his secret weapon. Only the team and Lily's friends knew the truth - to everyone else, it looked like Oscar was replacing Gardner.

"I hate having older brothers," Lily confesses, falling onto the bench next to Hugo. A few Ravenclaws looked at her but the most ignored her. It wasn't unusual that Lily would sit with Hugo from time to time. Ever since she'd found Hugo in the library with a black eye, she'd spent as much time as she could with him, hoping he felt he could trust her enough to tell him on his own terms but so far, she was having no luck. However Hugo hadn't had a black eye since.

Her cousin looked up from his book, fatigue and weariness painted across his freckled face. It seemed that Hugo's bully was already causing trouble even though they only came back from Christmas holidays a few weeks ago. Lily just wished he would talk to her. "I have Rose so I think I win," he joked, smiling weakly. He was tapping his wand on his books, practicing the spells Professor Flitwick had taught him to help with his dyslexia.

"At least Rose isn't telling you that you're too fat. I'm not even allowed to eat bacon anymore!" Lily moaned, stabbing her fork into a cube of pineapple as if it was James' face. Hugo managed a small laugh as he gulped down a spoonful of porridge.

Suddenly Lily watched Hugo's porridge merge itself into a red mixture that had the consistency of glue. Blood was dripping from Hugo's wrist, down his spoon and into his breakfast. "Merlin's socks! Hugo you're bleeding!" She snatched his arm and pulled the sleeve of his robes up, gasping at the sight. Wounds covered inches of his wrists, some straight, some jagged, some old and scarred, others fresh and raw and puckered, including the one that was pulsing with blood.

"Who's doing this to you Hugo?" Lily whispered. Her voice was thick with emotion and the tears were building in the corners of her eyes. She could smell the copper sting of the blood and thought she was going to gag, but she swallowed hard and managed to speak. "You have to tell me who's doing this so they can get what they deserve."

"It's nothing," Hugo claimed, wrenching his wrist from Lily's now limp grip. "I cut myself on a blade in Potions. Just leave it Lily. It's not worth the fuss." Quickly he gathered his books up and left, droplets of blood falling to the floor of the Great Hall.

It was hard to believe that Hugo had been laughing and joking merely weeks ago on the train. Being back at Hogwarts, in the clutches of his mysterious bully, the darkness had seeped back into Hugo, leaving an empty shell that just seemed to go through the motions of life. His heart was no longer in anything he did. And it broke Lily's heart that all she could do is just sit and watch as the Hugo she loved disappeared before her eyes.

Leaving her breakfast, Lily rose from the bench and made her way towards the Slytherin table. She quickly spotted Albus and hurried, her worry growing with each step. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes but she forced them back; she must be strong for Hugo. But the horror of seeing the blood run down his hands was too much.

When Albus saw her, he was immediately worried, moving up to make room. "Lily why is there blood on your hands?" As soon as she sat down, Albus had her hands in his, checking for the wounds Hugo had.

Her throat choked and she thought the tears would fall. "It's not my blood," Lily managed, fighting the tears back. "It's Hugo. He has cuts all up his wrists. One of them started to bleed when we were having breakfast." Thankfully Albus pulled his sister into his chest, his arms tight around her protectively. Here she could let a couple of tears fall and wipe it away on Albus' robes.

"It's getting worse!" Lily said with more strength in her words.

"I'll find Hugo today and talk to him. And I'll talk to the Ravenclaws to see if they've seen anything," Albus said, squeezing her reassuringly. "We'll find them soon and then make sure he wished he'd never set eyes on someone from our family. That you can count on."

"Thanks Al." For a brief moment, Lily let her head flop on her brother's shoulder. She took a deep breath and tried to release all her stress into one exhaling breath. "I need to go wash the blood of my hands before class but I'll try and find you later." With one last squeeze, she left the table, making an effort to not look at Scorpius.

###

Lily had never felt so nervous before in all her life. Not when she thought she could be a Squib. Not when the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. This moment definitely beat all previous moments of nervousness. She felt sick to her stomach with all the butterflies tumbling around in there. But today was the day she had been working on since she said yes to James and she had to be focused. She had to be ready.

After a quick and small breakfast, Lily had snuck away to hide under the Invisibility Cloak. Everyone was still keeping up the pretence that Oscar was playing, patting him on the shoulder and wishing him good luck. Oscar just smiled at them all with a knowing smile. Feeling like her breakfast could re-emerge any moment, Lily slowly made her way down to the Quidditch pitch, letting herself into the changing rooms for Gryffindor. She was putting on her protective gear when the rest of the team joined her, getting ready themselves.

Her hands were shaking with nerves - Lily thought it would be a miracle if they managed to catch anything, let alone a small evasive golden ball. Once her guards were tied in place - thanks to a bit of magic as her fingers couldn't stop twitching in anticipation - Lily found a seat next to her older cousin Roxy and waited for James' pre-match pep talk.

When the whole table was gathered, James clapped his hands together and began. "This is a new beginning for us," he said, a smile widening on his face. "We've been training harder, flying faster and I have no doubt in my mind that we will win this game.

"And just to give us a bigger advantage, we have our secret weapon. Now Lily, they'll be cautious around you so don't be afraid to use that against them. Keep your eyes open and I believe you'll catch the Snitch in no time." He beamed at Lily with so much pride that she could feel her breakfast churning inside her with unease. Already her butterflies were alive with more adrenaline than the rest of her body.

Outside there was a whistle. "Everyone, hands in!" James ordered. Instantly Lily hurried off the bench, collecting her broom before putting her hand in with the rest of the team "Let's do this lions!" the team chanted and with a small bounce, hands flew into the air.

A microphone hummed to life outside the changing rooms and James' friend Eddie had his voice echoing across the pitch. "Welcome witches and wizards to another exciting instalment of Hogwarts Quidditch! Today's match is Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff!" What sounded like thousands of cheers erupted outside, in the stands.

"Saddle up lions!" James shouted before mounting his broom and lining up next to Fred with his Beater's bat swinging.

From within her grasp, her broom was shaking sightly, the cause being because of Lily's nervous fingers. She squeezed tight around her Lightning Bolt - her favourite broom model seeing as her father had designed it with his friend Dean Thomas, hence the name - and swung her leg over, settling herself where she was most comfortable. Taking a deep breath in, she closed her eyes and exhaled. Her eyes snapped back open when Eddie's voice continued.

"First onto the pitch is Gryffindor's finest! For Chasers we have Roxanne, I mean Roxy Weasley, Ellie Mclaggen and Franklin Longbottom." A huge cheer accompanied them as they pushed off and flew circles around the pitch. "For Keeper we have Liam Thomas." Another cheer. "As or Beaters we have the most good looking boys of Hogwarts along with yours truly. Fred Weasley and Captain James Potter!" Another cheer erupted as her brother and cousin jumped off the ground, louder than any other before.

"And now for the biggest surprise in Quidditch history and they say good things come in small packages; for Seeker, it's the lightning fast, Lily Potter!" There was silence. The butterflies stopped, her hearts skipped a beat and Lily took one last breath. And as she pushed off of the ground, the largest cheers literally shook the foundations of the pitch.

###

After meeting up with her family, who had skipped work just to watch her play, Lily was dragged off to celebrate. The game had ended 360 -160 to Gryffindor with Lily catching the Snitch in a nose drive. It had been amazing, the rush of adrenaline and the rush of the wind. Lily had never felt so alive.

As she entered the common room, all of Gryffindor House began cheering and whistling and clapping. It was fantastic and yet very embarrassing at the same time. Letting her hair fall in front to hide the blush on her cheeks, Lily tried to find her friends in the crowd. It took a while but after a lots of congratulations and accompanying hugs, she found them on a sofa with a plate of food waiting for her.

Her friends blew up into another round of applause just as Lily fell exhaustedly next to Ariana. Everyone wanted to congratulate her and tell her how amazing she was, which she knew would do nothing for her blushing cheeks. Thankfully whenever someone came close to approaching, Dominique shot them a dark scowl and they walked away very quickly, leaving Lily to eat in peace.

"You were like a ball of fire up there Lils!" Ariana gushed. "I've never been so excited to be watching Quidditch."

Lily let herself laugh. "Are you hooked now?"

Immediately Ariana shook her head. "I still don't see what the big fuss is."

"Ari," Lily replied, frowning at her best friend. "I heard you when I nearly got hit by that Bludger, you sounded pretty into it then. But I think you may want to stop with the foul language. I saw some first years covering their ears at one point."

"It's not my fault; it's that blasted game! You should see my father when he's watching Muggle football. One hundred per cent worse!" The pair fell into fits of laughter until Ariana spotted something across the room which turned her face very serious. Instantly the laughter dropped off Lily's lips and she froze. "Don't look now but a certain snake is making his way over," Ariana whispered.

Stupidly, Lily looked and regretted it as soon as her head had started moving. She tried to turn her head and pretend she never saw him but out of the corner of her eye, she saw his casual smirk grow. Groaning to herself, she pleaded to Ariana with her eyes as Scorpius.

But either Ariana was terrible at reading facial expressions or was acting extra sly that afternoon. "I'm going to go get a drink," she quickly said and before Lily could argue and beg her to stay, Ariana was gone and Scorpius had filled her space.

"With all the sneaking around you've been doing recently, I'm honestly surprised you weren't made a Slytherin. It was a very good move by James by the way. We all thought that kid Rutherford was the new Seeker." Scorpius looked at her with dazzling eyes that were a stormy grey today. It was hard to be this close to him and not think about Sebastian's birthday.

"Aren't you worried Mr Malfoy?" Lily asked once she had found her voice. "The next match is Gryffindor versus Slytherin." Lily cocked her head to the side slightly and feigned innocence. "Do you think you can handle little old me catching the Snitch before you?"

Exuding his typical bubble of confidence, Scorpius simply laughed and flung his head back. "I don't have to take Divination to know that's never going to happen. The problem for you Lily is..." His voice trailed off and Lily watched him lean closer. Immediately she froze but his lips found her ear instead of her lips. "I know all your secrets," he whispered, the intimacy in his voice sending shivers down her spine. As he pulled back, Lily noticed the smirk of Scorpius' face, bolder than ever.

She needed to get away. Already her head was spinning as a result of him being in such close proximity to her. "I guess you'll realise that you don't know as much as you think when I'm the one holding the Snitch." She gave him an exaggerated smile and got to her feet, moving through the crowds and not looking back. It took a while but finally Lily found an empty windowsill. The view was amazing - with the afternoon sun ducking behind the trees slightly.

"You played really well today!" From behind her, Oscar approached. He held out a bottle of Butterbeer for Lily.

"Thank you," she replied, taking the bottle off him and sitting on the window bench. "But if I ever decide to quit, I'll put in a good word in with the captain. You were really good at the training sessions; everyone was fooled."

"You should have seen the looks on their faces as I walked through the stands. Any would have thought the whole stadium was under a Confundus Charm." The pair burst out into laughter. Lily leaned her head on the cool glass and from that angle, she could see the Quidditch pitch in the distance. "I have something to ask you," Oscar said and Lily snapped back to the common room, pulling her head away to look at the brown-haired boy. He was scratching his head slightly and repeatedly looked up and exhaled loudly.

Lily recognised the signs of nerves - having experienced them just this morning - and patiently waited for Oscar to continue. She was in no rush to get back to Scorpius.

"I've been meaning to ask you this since the Halloween Ball but things just got in the way." Already Lily knew where this was going. But she remained frozen in shock, her mouth hanging partially open. "Then I couldn't find you at Seb's," Oscar continued. Thinking back at that night, Lily felt guilty. "And then we've both been really busy with Quidditch. Basically I've been putting it off but not anymore." She watched him gulp hard and blow out the last of his nerves.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Instantly, as if it was a reflex, her mind went straight to Scorpius. How would he feel about it? Would he be angry? But then she realised that she could do whatever she wanted to. Scorpius didn't own her, no one did - apart from her parents perhaps, she wasn't familiar with the laws. But why shouldn't she go on a date with Oscar. He was lovely.

"Sure," Lily said when she finally found her voice. "I'd love to."

* * *

_Author's Note: I'm churning these out like a train! This story is finally starting to pick up after months of boring chapters. I hope everyone likes this chapter and if you have any queries, be sure to review or message me! I'm off to write an essay now but I'll be sure to post again soon :D_


	16. Firsts

Emerging from the adjoining bathroom, Lily coughed dramatically and spun around in a circle. She was wearing a pair of long dungarees over the last Christmas jumper Grandma Weasley had made. Her hair was in a high ponytail and the only make-up she wore was some lip balm and mascara. Lily stopped spinning in front of Dominique's bed, smiling at her three best friends. "How do I look?"

"You look lush Lils, like always," Phoebe said, giving a cheeky wink.

Ariana looked up from her parchment, her black quill tickling her chin gently. She shrugged her shoulders, making Lily frown. "I don't see why you're trying, it's only Oscar," she sighed before turning back to her essay. Lily's best friend didn't approve of her date with Oscar; she thought it was just a distraction from Scorpius and it wasn't fair to treat Oscar like that.

"But I'd roll up the bottom of the dungarees," Ariana added with a flick of her quill.

Turning up the hems, Lily waited for Dominique to look up from the latest edition of Witch Weekly. When she finally did, she scowled at her cousin which only confused Lily further. Dominique exhaled deeply. "You could have looked like you actually tried to look nice Lily."

"I did try. These are new dungarees," Lily exclaimed.

"Whatever," Dominique sighed, slamming her magazine on her bed. "Can we go now? I need Honeydukes and fast!"

Quickly, Lily grabbed her purse and wand, stuffing them both in her pockets before taking a deep breath. Perhaps she was more anxious about this date then she thought. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" Both Ariana and Phoebe had opted out because of homework. As expected, they both shook their heads. "Fine, let's go Dom!" Linking arms with her cousin, they blew air kisses and left the dormitory.

###

"Hi Lily!" Oscar called out from the bottom of the steps at the front of the castle. His enthusiastic voice was cute and mildly hilarious, Lily thought, given that he was currently moving through puberty with an unpredictably-pitched voice. However he was excited to see her and Lily couldn't help but smile back as he beamed at her. "Are you ready to go?"

Lily nodded, looking behind to give Dominique a brief wave but she was already immersed in a conversation with Rainbow. Turning back, she gave Oscar another smile and they set off down the path, following the mass of students that were making their way to Hogsmeade.

"You look really nice," Oscar said, running a nervous hand through his hair. "I like your..." He gestured to the straps of her dungarees. Lily couldn't help but think his face was cute when he was confused.

"They're dungarees," Lily explained, laughing to herself as a small blush appeared on Oscar's face. Half because she thought she would trip over at any moment and half because Oscar looked really nervous, Lily reached out and twisted her fingers with his, smiling up at him reassuringly. "I'm really happy you asked me out."

The grin on Oscar's lips stretched to his ears. "I was meaning to ask you at the Halloween Ball but I couldn't find you once Scarlet Ash pulled me away for a dance. Did you know she's not a very good dancer?" This got a little giggle from Lily. "I'm serious, she stood on my toes and everything. Anyway since then, I've been trying to gather up the courage to ask you out."

"I can't believe you did," Lily admitted, squeezing his hand tight. "But I am glad!"

She smiled cheekily at Oscar, who made his cute confused face, and then let his hand go, skipping in front of him and walking backwards. They were at the top of the hill and below then was the small village of Hogsmeade. "Race you!" Lily cried and in a flash, she sprinted down the hill, dodging other students. About halfway down the hill, Oscar overtook her and practically flew the rest of the way. Luckily the ground was being nice today and Lily didn't have any falls. However she was running so fast that at the bottom, she couldn't slow down enough to stop and incidentally launched her body into Oscar's. Thankfully he caught her.

"Why did we run?" Oscar asked breathlessly.

"Because," Lily began and then stopped to catch her breath. "Because I couldn't wait for our date to start." Oscar smiled brightly and took her hand, pulling them both into the main street of Hogsmeade. "Although," she added. "I'm a bit hurt that you didn't let me win the race," Lily said, pouting cutely.

"Maybe next time," Oscar replied.

"Who says there will be a next time? This date might turn out terrible," Lily accused although she was smiling and didn't mean any of it. "I'm just saying Os, it was very gentleman of you."

Oscar laughed and steered Lily away from the crowds that lined that main street, ducking into an alley that Lily knew led to The Hog's Head. "I apologise Lily. How about I pay for the drinks?" Lily nodded and as she thought, Oscar led her into the refurbished pub.

They found an empty booth near the back that lit up with candles as soon as Lily sat down, and then Oscar went to get a couple of Butterbeers. When he returned, Lily managed to get a foam moustache across her lip from the first mouthful, which caused a small fit of laughter from Oscar before he leaned over and wiped it away. Lily couldn't help but notice that her skin didn't prickle with excitement at Oscar's touch like it did with Scorpius.

###

The date went well by Lily's standards. However in reality, Lily didn't really have any standards since this was technically her first date. However after watching so many romantic Muggle movies with Ariana, she had some kind of idea. The conversation flowed easily through Quidditch to classes to homework and then to family.

Oscar had a small family in comparison to Lily's. He had twin sisters that were five and just from the way he talked about them, it was obvious to Lily that he loved them a lot. Also he didn't have any cousins or aunts or uncles; both his parents were only children with no brothers or sisters. "You can have some of mine," Lily joked.

It had been an awesome date. Oscar had made her smile and laugh and blush but something just wasn't right. She knew what it was or in fact who it was but she tried to keep those thoughts out of her head. However Lily couldn't help but notice that when Oscar stroked his fingers across the back of Lily's hand, her heard didn't immediately flutter. It just wasn't the same.

After a couple of drinks, Sebastian, Dominique, Harvey and Finn slid into the booth and officially crashed the party. Not one of them remorse for interrupting their date. But in their defence, it seemed they were on a sugar high after spending nearly an hour in Honeydukes - Dominique couldn't stop bouncing in her seat. Their arrival made Lily realise the time. "Oh Dumbledore!" She quickly scrambled for her purse and smoothed her ponytail, turning to Oscar. "I'm really sorry Os but I have a Quidditch session with James and I need to go back to the castle."

"Do you want me to walk you there?" Oscar asked, making to get up.

"Thanks but I think I know where I'm going," she said, checking her pockets to make sure she had everything. "Besides someone needs to make sure these guys get back alright. We don't want them getting lost."

"HEY!" Dominique cried very loudly, attracting the unwanted attention from other people in the pub. "I know how to get to the castle," Dominique giggled, continuing to bounce in her seat. "It's that big building in the sky with all the towers and stuff. Holy Hufflepuff Lily, stop acting like your mother." She stuck her tongue out at Lily - it was bright blue from all the sweets she had eaten.

"Dom, you're just drunk on sugar," Lily rolled her eyes as her cousin became fascinated in trying to pull her blue tongue out to get a better look at it. "Try sitting on your hands or something," she encouraged before turning back to her date. "But I had a really good time today Os. I think you might just get that second date!" Without thinking too much, Lily leaned over and kissed Oscar softly on the cheek. As her lips pulled away slowly, her friends erupted into cheers and whoops and Harvey even whistled, making Lily giggle and Oscar blush.

Lily climbed out of the booth, laughing at Oscar's attempt at a reply. It seemed that the kiss went straight to his head and now he could barely stutter through his sentences. Still laughing, she waved goodbye to everyone and left The Hog's Head, beginning the walk up to Hogwarts. It was a lovely day with the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky. There was an essence of the winter air lingering, making it feel a bit colder but Lily thought that they were prefect conditions for flying. The brightness would make the Snitch easier to find seeing as the sunlight would just dance off its polished surface.

"Was you date so bad that you had to leave early Lily?" She jumped at the proximity of the voice before frowning angrily at who it belonged to. Today Scorpius was walking a few steps behind her, dressed very handsomely in a grey coat that matched his eyes paired with black boots and denim jeans.

"It was a lovely date actually. Thank you for asking," Lily argued. "I just have to get back to the castle for a training session. Y'know to make sure that I'm in tip top shape to kick your ass in the game coming up. I'm sure Oscar understands. No one wants the snakes to win."

His stormy grey eyes widened slightly. "You're going out with someone called Oscar?" Scorpius asked. Much to Lily's annoyance, he seemed to be following her as she made her way up the path to Hogwarts. Laughter was brimming on his lips but he looked away quickly to compose himself. When he turned back, his face was serious and sober.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Lily folded her arms and frowned, a small pout unconsciously forming. "What's wrong with that? Last time I checked, who I dated was none of your concern."

"Does Albus know about you dating?" Scorpius enquired and laughed as Lily's face dropped at the prospect of her brothers finding out about her new found love life. In fact Lily wasn't even sure how Scorpius found out. "I guess not. Oh and I used to have a pet called Oscar."

"Fascinating!" Lily replied sarcastically. But it was, for the small part of her brain that harboured Lily's crush for Scorpius and wanted to learn everything about him. And the rest of her brain hated her for it.

Cautiously Scorpius stepped forward, closing the distance between them until they were practically touching. "Do you want to know what I think Lily?"

"Not particularly Scorpius but I'm sure you'll tell me nevertheless," Lily answered impatiently. Not only was she not comfortable being so close to Scorpius, too close for that matter, but she was going to be late for practice - James was going to tip a cauldron.

"He's not me."

"How insightful!" Lily gasped in mock shock. "You should get down to the village and tell the rest of the Wizarding World!" Just then she turned back towards the path and made to leave.

But Scorpius pulled her back, his hand holding hers. The touch sent shivers down her spine. "When you're with him, you constantly try to put thoughts of me out of the way. You try not to compare him to me but you can't help it. Your hand feels weird in his, like it's out of place and that's because it was meant to be with mine, fitting together. I bet kissing him makes you instantly think of me, of New Year's Eve, of the Astronomy Tower on the first night back." He was even closer now, so close she knew he could probably count all the freckles on her face.

Her eyes flickered to his lips and watched as he licked them slightly in anticipation. "I wouldn't know about the kissing part because we haven't ..." She felt herself lean towards him, her face tilting her so her lips could meet his. It wasn't until the last possible moment that Lily realised what the Hippogriff was going on.

"Urgh!" she moaned to herself, shaking out all of the longing thoughts of Scorpius. There was no place for them. Instead she started walking back up the hill and from the lack of footsteps, he didn't follow. "And wipe that smirk off your face Malfoy!" Lily called back without stopping or turning around to look at him. She could practically feel the smirk burning into her back.

###

Lily was right about the conditions - they were perfect for training. There was a slight breeze that kept Lily cool as she raced after the Snitch, coaxing her broom to move with all of her body. Each attempt to catch the little golden ball got quicker and quicker until Lily had to purposely disorientate herself to make the exercise more difficult. The sun did get in her eyes but Lily was so focused on her game that it rarely got in the way. And the best thing about Quidditch was that as soon as she pushed off on her broom, Lily found it easy to forget about Scorpius. When she was in the air, the world and its problems fell away until it was only Lily and the Snitch - nothing else mattered.

By the end of training, James seemed thoroughly pleased with Lily's performance. He touched down onto the ground with a giant grin on his face. "You were amazing Lils!"

Lily quickly landed in front of him, beaming with pride as she dismounted her Lightning Bolt and swung it over her shoulder. "I hate to toot my own horn but TOOT TOOT!" In the excitement of her performance, she practically jumped up and down just like Dominique a few hours ago. "We are going to grind Slytherin into the ground."

"That's the fighting talk I like to hear!" James cheered and together they headed for the changing rooms, carrying the crate of balls between them. "You know, I think you could be better than Dad," James said casually.

"That's insane Jamie! No one is better than Dad!" Lily replied, her heart practically skipping a beat at the possible comparison to her father. The weight of the crate grew heavy and as they entered the changing rooms, Lily felt as if her arm was about to fall off. They locked the balls in the closet and sighed in relief. "I'm going for a quick shower," Lily said, heading for the girls shower block.

After washing herself in the hot water, Lily Charmed her hair dry, plaiting it in a braid across one shoulder and then changed back into her dungarees. She checked herself in the mirror, satisfied with her appearance and then peered into the boys changing rooms. The shower was still running so Lily decided to leave James to it. Knowing her brother, he could be in there for a while.

Outside the sun was still glaring down on her. Lily knew she had homework to do but on such a lovely day, she wanted to spend all her time outside instead of being cooped up with a quill in hand. Absentmindedly, she walked across the pitch, looking up at the tall hoops that made her feel even smaller than normal. She was so distracted that she didn't notice the figure heading towards her into clapping echoed around the empty stadium, scaring the Hippogriff out of Lily. Immediately she found the source and broke out in a wide smile, quickening her pace. "What are you doing here?" she called out, her hands cupped around her lips.

"I came for the show!" Oscar yelled out, gesturing with his arms at the pitch around them as he stopped in front of her with his cute smile stretched wide. "You flew fantastically today! I was watching from the stands."

"Oh well thank you," she said, curtseying low and then rising to her full height in a fit of giggles. "I was just heading back to the castle. I have a Transfiguration essay that is calling my name unfortunately." Starting back across the pitch, Lily pulled Oscar with her until he gathered himself and fell into step.

"I had a really fun time today," Oscar said.

A smile broke out on Lily's face. "Me too. Hey! How was it getting Dom and everyone else up to the castle? I bet they were a handful."

Instantly Oscar burst out into laughter. "It took a while that's for sure. But you gave me an idea which worked better than a spell. I raced them all the way and of course Dominique won. However when they got to the common, they all collapsed on the sofas and within seconds, were snoring." Lily joined in with the laughter and leaned her head against Oscar's shoulder. She felt his arm wrap itself around her waist. The thought made her nervous.

"Lily?"

"Yes Os?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a second date with me."

"Whoa Os, that would practically make us boyfriend and girlfriend," Lily joked, staring up at the sky and savouring the sunshine.

"Do you want to be?" Oscar blurted out. Immediately she stopped walking up the hill and dropped her head to look at Oscar's face but he wasn't looking at her. "Boyfriend and girlfriend I mean. Eventually though," he quickly added, paying everything else attention. "Not now of course because I'm just going to stop talking..." he trailed off, blushing brightly before his gaze flashed at Lily's shock expression and then dropped to the floor.

Lily took a second to process all of the information in her head. Thoughts swirled around until they came together like a whirlpool before draining away. Today was the day of many firsts for thirteen year old Lily and it was obvious to her that she was growing up. Her first date. Her first training session since revealing she was the new Seeker. First time wearing dungarees too. Would she just add to list?

Oscar was cute, one of the cutest in her year - although Dominique would argue that it was Oscar's best friend, Sebastian. His warm brown eyes were always twinkling with happiness and always made her smile. He was taller than Lily but everyone was so she could easily look past the fact she had to look up at him. Of course Scorpius popped into her head, he was the polar opposite to Oscar, confident and proud where as Oscar was more shy and quiet. But she couldn't have Scorpius. He was off-limits. Did she have no other chance of a relationship because of that though?

"Yes," she said simply.

"Yes? What do you mean, yes?" Oscar's head snapped up from the ground to look at her. The cute confused look appeared on his face again and Lily giggled to herself. It was then that she knew she had made the right decision.

"I mean yes Oscar."

"To which question?"

In all honesty, she had no idea what she was doing. It was another first that she could add to the list, along with having her first boyfriend. Lily closed the gap between them and looked up at his warm and confused eyes. Her hands came up to cradle his cheeks. "It means yes, I'll be your girlfriend silly." Reaching up on her toes, Lily pressed her lips against his, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. She his arms tighten around her waist, keeping her body close to his.

All of a sudden, Lily was being yanked away from Oscar by a hard grasp on her shoulder. Maintaining his tight hold on his sister, James looked down at Lily was a face full of thunder. His chest was visibly heaving with deep breaths as if he had just sprinted. And when he spoke, it was obvious that he was trying very hard not to lose his temper.

"What's going on here Lily?"

"James what the hell do you think you are doing?" Lily argued, wriggling uncomfortably as her brother tightened his grip on her. However she quickly managed to wrestle her way out, being stronger than she looked. Doing the right thing, Oscar had taken a step back, knowing it was best to keep his mouth shut. "You remember Oscar don't you? He's my boyfriend."

The look on James' face was as if he had just found out that Tom Riddle was actually his father. "Oh no! Oh no! No way Lily. I don't want you dating," James cried, throwing his hands up and shaking his head furiously.

Her Weasley temper quickly got the better of her and flared up like a firework. "You don't get a choice in the matter of who I date James Sirius Potter. There's no logical reason I shouldn't date Oscar. Frankly it is none of your business so please take you big nose and find Alice." Defiantly Lily reached back and took hold of Oscar's soft hand. He squeezed it tight but remained silent.

"Oh no! I will not allow this. I have every right to have a say," James quickly retorted, crossing his arms across his chest. "As your captain, I think it's in your best interest plus the best thing for the team, that our Seeker is free of all distractions when she is on the pitch." At this Lily scoffed at her brother and popped a hip to the side with her hand resting on it. Nothing James said would change her mind, it would only make her heels dig in harder.

"And as your brother, I don't think you should date because you're too young. Dad would say the same and don't think that as soon as this is over, I won't be sending him a letter. You are not dating - end of spell book." James finished, frowning hard at his little sister, waiting for the 'father threat' to scare. It didn't. Lily was daddy's little girl and if anyone had Harry Potter wrapped around her finger, it was his daughter.

On Lily's other hand, she knew she had James wrapped around her finger too. She softened her voice, turning down the volume and looking up the Weasley fire. "James, I'm not a baby anymore. I'm thirteen now and if I want to date Oscar then I will. Nothing you can say will change that but I would much rather not have to fight you all the time about this." She stared up at him and didn't back. Even with her small stature, she stood her ground and eventually watched as James began to melt under her stare. Not literally of course but she could tell as his features softened. "I hate fighting with you Jamie. But I'm never going to grow up if you don't let me." Releasing Oscar's hands with a reassuring squeeze, Lily stepped closer to James and placed her hands on his broad arms. "I know it's scary but it's going to happen. I'm going to date guys, drink Firewhiskey and have fun. Can you please just support me on this?"

"It'll take some getting used to," James said quietly as he uncrossed his arms. Lily knew she had won and she reached up and hugged her big brother. "But I do think me and Oscar need to have a chat. Just to lay down some rules. Alright mate?"

"Ok," Oscar replied, the fear evident in his voice and eyes. Lily watched as he gulped hard but he stepped up to the challenge, which warmed Lily's heart. "I'll see you in the common room," he said to Lily, kissing her on the cheek. Then he started walking back to the Quidditch pitch with James. But they didn't get far before James stopped and turned around.

"You're telling Albus about this!" He called out and instantly Lily groaned inwardly. Getting her dad and Teddy and James to agree with her was easy as Defence Against the Dark Arts. But Albus was a whole other cauldron. He would be the hardest nut to crack and by the laughter James left in his wake as he started back down the hill, he knew how mad Albus Potter would get.

"Just don't hurt him," Lily shouted although with James, she knew he wouldn't.

###

As Lily entered the common room, she was surprised by what she found even though Oscar had told her all about it. On the sofas surrounding the fire were four sleeping lions. Dominique and Sebastian were snuggled up together under one blanket while Harvey and Finn slept soundly in each others arms in a rather romantic embrace. It was times like these when Lily wished she had a camera. Thinking about it, Ariana had a camera in her trunk.

In the dormitory, only Ariana was left, sat still on her bed, staring at a piece of parchment. At first Lily didn't notice the tears on Ariana's cheeks, she was too busy laughing at her cousin and friends downstairs. But when she really looked at her best friends, saw the slumped shoulders and red eyes that glistened slightly, the laughter instantly left Lily and she pulled Ariana in for a hug.

"What's happened Ari?" she murmured, rubbing soothing circles on her back as Ariana broke out into sobs. When her best friend pulled away, Lily tried to get a better look at her face, to see what was truly wrong but she simply ducked her head to stare at the floor and handed Lily the parchment in her hand.

Reading the words in her head, Lily looked at the letter Ariana had received from her mother. It seemed that during the night, Shadow had passed away. Shadow was Ariana's cat that Lily had met on the train to Hogwarts for her first time. Unfortunately Shadow became really ill within the first week of school and Ariana had sent him home to live with her mother. She thought his illness was due to there being too much magic in the air here. Since then, Shadow had remained ill ... until last night.

"Oh Ari," Lily sighed, wrapping an arm around her best friend's shoulder and pulling her into her side. "I'm so sorry honey. How are you feeling?"

"Upset," Ariana said lifelessly, her voice plain and lacking in emotion. "But more at the fact I wasn't there with him. The guy from Magical Menagerie said the best thing to do for him would be to end his pain before he suffered any more but I couldn't do it. I was selfish and he suffered and I just let it happen because I was too scared to face the inevitable, to say goodbye." Her chest erupted into deep sobs as she turned her head to cry into Lily's jumper.

Leaning her head on Ariana's, Lily closed her eyes and thought back on little Shadow. He had been so full of life on the train and it seemed as soon as he crossed the threshold of Hogwarts, he became very ill. Although it's common for cats to accompany witches and wizards throughout their lives, for some like Shadow, the magic is just too overwhelming.

"How about I talk to my dad?" Lily offered.

Ariana's response was mumbled as she spoke into Lily's jumper through her sobs. "How would that help? It's not as if a Dark wizard killed Shadow, I did."

"You didn't kill Shadow. You gave him the best possible life you could have given him. The reason I wanted to talk to my dad was to see if he could pull some strings and maybe get you sent home next week, so you can bury him properly."

With a wipe of her running nose on the sleeve of her top, Ariana looked at her best friend. Her eyes were red raw from the stinging tears but wide with possibility. "Could your dad really persuade Professor Creevey?"

"He defeated Lord Voldemort; that has to count for something," Lily said, shrugging to herself and making a mental note to send a letter to her dad as soon as. "Now are you going to stay up here and blame yourself or do you want to come and help create some potential blackmailing material?" She didn't want her best friend up here crying all evening, wallowing in guilt over Shadow's passing.

Wiping her wet cheeks and sniffling loudly, Ariana managed a shy smile and nodded. "We'll get past this Ari," Lily said, giving Ariana a big squeeze. "I'm here for you."

"Thank you," Ariana replied with a warm smile. "Now what's this about potential blackmailing material?" she asked, getting to her feet and tucking the letter under her pillow.

"We'll need your camera," Lily said with a sly smile across her face. The little Potter knew exactly how Dominique would react to the pictures they were about to take. But if she knew about the smile they gave their best friend, Lily would be instantly forgiven.

* * *

_Author's Note: I posting this the day before my birthday, probably because tomorrow I'll be having too much fun to post anything. But I felt I needed to the mark the occasion because I'm turning EIGHTEEN! Yes, I can finally go out and buy alcohol and vote and do all other kinds of grown-up stuff._

_Anyway I hope you like this chapter. To be honest with you, I don't like the fact Lily is dating anyone but Scorpius. However we have to let our little flower grow and trust me, the chapters to come involve a cauldron filled with drama._

_So I hope you enjoy reading this next instalment and please review ... as a birthday present for me?_


	17. The Reactions

By the time Oscar came back into the common room, a lot had happened. The flash on Ariana's camera ended up waking Dominique who woke up the other three with her screaming and shouting as she chased Lily and Ariana around the common room, fighting for the camera. However Ariana quickly whipped out her wand and made it vanish before Dominique got her fingers on it. Then Lily had been tackled to the floor by her cousin, finding it hard to breathe and laugh at the same time. Thankfully for Lily, Dominique had to stop because she had a headache - probably from the sugar-high she was coming down from.

"You're alive then," Lily cried loudly, which made Dominique groan in Sebastian's lap at the sheer volume. "I was beginning to worry James had fed you to the giant squid."

"I probably wouldn't taste very nice," he said, perching on the arm of the sofa by Lily and leaning down to kiss her hair.

When Lily turned back to her friends, each wore a wide-eyed expression, shooting questioning looks at Lily and Oscar. Only Ariana looked at the couple differently, one eyebrow raised in her own talented way in disbelief written all over her face. "Oh yeah," Lily said weakly. "Oscar's my boyfriend."

Everyone but Ariana said congratulations. Dominique also threatened Oscar's life and Sebastian insisted on Oscar performing a very complicated handshake. Lily's best friend remained silent so when Harvey pulled away from his hug, Lily turned in her space to stare Ariana in the face.

"I can't believe you didn't say anything," Ariana accused, looking slightly hurt. Her arms were crossed and hugging her body tight. "We're supposed to be best friends."

"Ariana, we are best friends - practically sisters. I didn't tell you anything not because I didn't want to, but because it seemed insignificant compared to you and Shadow. I didn't want to rub it in your face that I was happy while you were grieving. Besides it's a new thing for me, I didn't want to make a big deal about it." Lily watched as the features of Ariana's hard face soften and reached over to hug her best friend.

"What about Scorpius?" Ariana whispered directly into Lily's ear. But she just shook her head in response. Scorpius didn't matter anymore. She had to move on and be happy in her relationship with Oscar.

As Ariana pulled back, she frowned hard at Lily before turning to Oscar. "Just so you know Oscar, if you hurt my Lily, I'll make sure you can't have children in the future." She smiled evilly while everyone in the group but Oscar laughed.

"She's kidding right?" Oscar asked worriedly. This only made Lily laugh harder.

At this point, Finn noticed the time and realised it was time for dinner. They all made to leave although Sebastian had to coax Dominique who complained that the Great Hall would only make her headache worse. However at the mere mention of chocolate cake, she was quickly to her feet and dragging Sebastian out of the common.

Needing to speak to Oscar in private, Lily held back slightly. "Look I was wondering if we could just keep this to ourselves," she said, holding up her hand that was wrapped in Oscar's. "Just until I've told Albus first," she quickly added.

"Of course," he said, tilting her head up to kiss her gently before pulling away, letting his hand fall from Lily's as he stepped back.

Lily mouthed him a thank you before hurrying along to catch up with everyone.

###

Dinner was lovely, the whole group were constantly laughing and smiling, even Ariana who needed the laughs more than most. It was nice to just enjoy a moment with no drama. Further up the bench, Lily spotted Phoebe eating with Franklin and waved happily. Perhaps it was the sunshine or the good practice she had or maybe it was the very handsome boy sitting opposite her, but Lily just could not stop smiling.

That was until Albus turned up halfway though her meal. "Hi Lils," he said from behind Lily. She swivelled in her seat, her eyes instantly narrowing on Scorpius for a second, taking in his casual stance and smirk. "James mentioned that you needed to talk to me about something."

One day James Sirius Potter will have a very rude awakening. It would be unexpected and unprovoked at the time but Lily promised that she would exact her revenge on her brother for this moment. She's hadn't prepared herself for telling Albus - she thought she had until at least tomorrow. But thanks to James' meddling, her boyfriend's announcement would come sooner.

Oh and Scorpius was here too. Fantastic.

"I guess I could talk to you now." She swung her legs out from the bench but remained seated. "Basically I wanted to let you know that I have a boyfriend now," Lily mumbled into her lap, her hands buried in her dungarees.

"What was that Lils? I didn't hear."

"Oscar's my boyfriend," she snapped, peering out from behind her hair to read Albus' reaction. She didn't mean to be so blunt but it was better to rip the plaster off quickly.

Albus' face rapidly turned a deep shade of red as he glared at Lily in rage. "And who is Oscar?" he managed through gritted teeth. His eyes flickered to the people surrounding Lily. Even Scorpius was looking worriedly at his best friend. Not that Lily had expected much but Albus was not taking this well.

"I'm Oscar." Lily spun in her seat to glare at her boyfriend as if he had a suicide mission but he just shook his head and looked bravely at Albus.

At that point something inside Albus seemed to just snap. His hand was tight around Lily's wrist and he was pulling her up and down the hall, not caring as she tripped and stumbled over her own feet. He ignored her shouts of protest and pulled her out of the Great Hall and down a long corridor. "What do you think you're doing Albus?" Lily screamed. His instant reaction was letting her wrist go. Gently Lily massaged the throbbing area - it felt as if her hand had been wretched from its socket. "Answer me!"

He was pacing back and forth in front of her, huffing out angry breaths and running fingers through his tangle of black hair. "You're too young," he kept repeating to himself, making Lily roll her eyes. She thought her brothers would be a little more original about it. "I know what boys his age want and it is something a thirteen year old shouldn't be concerning herself with. Especially a Potter."

There was a thunder of footsteps behind them as Scorpius, Ariana and Oscar arrived. All of them stood warily next to Lily as they watched Albus' pacing increase. He just kept muttering to himself and Lily was getting worried.

"Albus?" Ariana asked gently, stepping forward and intercepting Lily's brother mid-pace. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up at him caringly. His eyes were wide as he looked up at her. "I need you to calm down Albus so we can talk about this rationally. That way no one gets hurt."

"Come on mate," Scorpius encouraged. "Shouting isn't going to solve anything."

"Lily can I talk to you please?" Albus asked in a steady voice. He awkwardly smiled at Ariana as she dropped her arms to her sides and walked away. Lily followed and faced her brother with all the Gryffindor bravery she could muster. "You're too young to have a boyfriend Lily-"

"But you have had girlfriends at my age!" Lily interrupted, earning her a glare from Albus.

"Let me finish before you defend that asshole," Albus said heatedly. Then he took a few deep breaths while Lily stayed silent, before continuing. "I want to think about this before you start shouting all types of curses at the top of your lungs. Do you truly know who Oscar is? Boys have always paid attention to you, even if you didn't notice it.

"I'm probably the reason you haven't noticed. Why do you think Scorpius and I get so many detentions? I'm your big brother and I don't want you to get hurt, even if it means I spend a few weekends cleaning the trophy room without magic." At this Lily's mouth dropped open. Albus paused to absorb her reaction but she was too speechless to say anything. She was the reason for all of Albus' and Scorpius' detentions over the last few years. She was the reason they refused to tell her. How many boys had they punched or intimidated or cursed just to warn them off her?

"I'm sorry for hurting you just a second ago Lils. Sometimes I just snap and get so angry that it scares even me. But I'm not sorry for all those detentions. I will always protect you Lily. Until the day they bury my body, I will always protect you because you're my little sister, my delicate flower. That and Dad would kill me if I didn't.

"In hindsight, I shouldn't have overreacted. But I really hope that you know who you are dating because it'll be harder to protect you from something that you've accepted into your life." In a swift moment, Lily was lifted off her feet in a tight hug, her body crushed against Albus'. Her eyes were wet, her mouth still hanging open slightly in shock. Although she couldn't believe her brother would interfere, Lily's heart felt so warm at the fact that Albus was also there to protect her.

Once her feet touched the ground, Lily looked up in Albus' big green eyes, the ones that mirrored her father a lot, and took a deep breath, releasing all the anger she had felt. "I appreciate everything you do for me, even if I don't understand the logic behind them. But it has to stop because I don't want to be the one responsible for all the detentions you get. They go on your record you know.

"As for Oscar, you're probably right. I don't know everything about him and I'm sure there's a lot he doesn't know about me. I'm not ready for the kind of relationship you continue to suggest. Oscar makes me laugh and smile and if that's a good enough reason for me to date him, then it should be a good enough reason for you not to punch him." She hugged him around the waist and after a few seconds, felt Albus wrap his arms around her. As much as she had dreaded telling Albus, she was glad it was over and that he did seem to accept her decision.

Stepping away, she walked over to Oscar and laced her fingers in his. "I'll give you some time to think." Lily made an effort not to look at Scorpius as she practically dragged Oscar down the corridor. Just as they were about to turn the corner, Lily felt something missing - Ariana! "Ari, are you coming?" She spun around and saw that Scorpius had disappeared.

But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was Ariana and Albus looking at each other with a fierce stare. Lily's words seemed to snap them both out of it. While Ariana blushed and seemed to stutter over a sentence, Albus walked in the direction of The Great Hall without a word.

###

"What happened between you and Albus as soon as I left?" Lily asked, applying a strip of toothpaste on her toothbrush and rinsing it under the tap. "You looked like you were having a staring competition." She pop the toothbrush in her mouth and starting brushing, glaring at her best friend in the mirror as she applied moisturiser to her face.

"It was nothing. That was the first time, since Sebastian's party, that I had been alone with him. Whenever I see him, someone else is always there." As she spoke, Lily noticed her best friend staring at the sink. Either she was thinking about Shadow, which reminded Lily about the letter she needed to send, or Albus had been an asshole, which wouldn't be too big a stretch. But Lily couldn't speak with a mouthful of toothpaste so she waited until Ariana was ready to speak again.

"As you were walking away, I asked him if we could talk. I told him that I didn't understand what happened at Sebastian's party. But he froze up. And you called back for me and as he walked away, he just told me to forget about him." Ariana slammed her bottle of moisturiser down hard on the counter and grabbed her toothbrush, squeezing a hefty amount of toothpaste on it before rinsing and sticking it in her mouth.

Spitting into the sink, Lily wiped the toothpaste from the corner of her mouth. "I can't believe him sometimes. I swear he must have been dropped on his head because he doesn't know a good thing even when it's standing right in front of him." Lily leaned over and wrapped an arm around her best friend, looking at her through the mirror. "Do you want me to knock some sense into him?"

Ariana shook her head, spitting out her toothpaste. "I don't want to cause any trouble with anyone. It was always a long shot that Albus would like me back." She shrugged and put her toothbrush back in her mouth.

"For the record, he's an idiot for not realising how amazing you are," Lily said, kissing the brown bun on top of Ariana's head before putting her toothbrush on the counter and leaving the bathroom to change into her pyjamas.

###

"Why are you all by yourself Os?" Lily asked as she entered the common room and saw Oscar – her new boyfriend – sitting by himself on an armchair.

Monday was here and there was a day of lessons to be late and fall asleep in. Already Lily was running late and all her friends had gone down to breakfast, leaving Lily to rush around her dormitory, trying to find all her books for the day. There was probably fifteen minutes until her first lesson and Lily thought the common room would be empty, which is why Oscar surprised her so much.

"I thought I would walk my girlfriend to breakfast," Oscar said, smiling sweetly. He climbed out from the armchair and reached out, taking hold of Lily's hand. He pulled her closer to him and planted a kiss on Lily's lips, tucking hair behind her ear. "Although I didn't realise you would be so late."

Lily smiled sheepishly and ducked her head down to hide her blush. "I'm sorry. I was up last night talking to Ariana."

"Is everything ok?" Oscar asked. His hand gripped hers tightly and pulled her towards the portrait hole. "She doesn't want to hurt me, does she?"

Laughing lightly, Lily fixed her bag on her shoulder and shook her head. "Ariana's mother sent her a letter yesterday saying that Shadow had died. It's really hit her hard because she blames herself." She wasn't going to tell Oscar about her best friend's crush on Albus because it was a secret and it wasn't her secret to tell.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Oscar asked.

"I think so. I'm trying to get her home this weekend so she can bury him and get some closure over the whole thing. He's been ill for such a long time," Lily replied, looking up at Oscar. He was wearing a serious face as he stared down at her. "You know today is going to be hard, right? Albus was just the tip of the iceberg."

"You're not trying to get rid of me, are you?" Oscar teased, pulling her tighter into his side. "I've met both of your brothers and I still live to tell the tale. To everyone else, it's none of their business." He stopped his step and leaned down to kiss Lily full on the lips gently, letting them linger before pulling away.

"Let get this over with!" Lily groaned, dragging Oscar behind her as they rounded the corner and were faced with the giant doors of the Great Hall.

The noise from the students inside, talking and laughing while they ate, was quite loud. Lily had hoped to just sneak into the Hall undetected. There wasn't much time until first class and Lily just wanted to grab a couple pieces of toast and slip out with no drama. However as soon as she walked through the threshold, her hand gripping Oscar, the entire Hall fell silent. A blush quickly arose on Lily's cheeks and she shook her head down, letting red hair cover his face. She felt frozen in her spot, unable to move. But thankfully Oscar recovered, steering Lily's rigid body to the Gryffindor table and seating her on a bench.

As soon as she sat down, the conversations of the Hall picked up, probably all about Oscar and her. Lily dropped her head to stare at her plate as Oscar slid a piece of toast in front of her. Looking up Lily offered him a smile and started eating. All around her, students were stealing looks at the pair of them before turning back to their whispered conversations.

"How long do you think it'll be before they find something else to gossip about?" Oscar asked, looking around wide-eyed and staring at those around them with a glare.

Unlike Oscar, Lily was used to people looking and staring at her. It was a common thing for Lily when she was out with her dad or mum. But that didn't mean that she liked the attention. "Give it a week and they'll be bored of us. Unless someone draws the attention away from us in the next few days."

"Don't worry Lily! I still haven't been scared off. I guess you're stuck with me," Oscar said, smiling awkwardly at her. Lily burst out laughing and smiled into her plate, thankful that she picked Oscar to be her first boyfriend, just because he made the whole ordeal that little bit more fun.

"Come on," Lily said, noticing that a lot of the Hall was beginning to empty. "Let's go stop traffic!"

###

The last thing Lily wanted to do was suffer through an entire day of boring lessons. As soon as the newly formed couple arrived outside History of Magic, they walked up the line trying to find their friends. Both Ravenclaws and Gryffindors alike bombarded them with questions and congratulations, overwhelming Lily until a certain Weasley intervened. Dominique stepped out with hands on her hips and rudely told all those within earshot where she would stick their wands if they started butting into Lily and Oscar's relationship. When they reached their friends, Lily sighed in relief and kissed Dominique on the cheek, thanking her.

Then she pulled Oscar away from the group as she noticed a freckled face in the line. "Hugo!" she cried, grabbing the attention of her cousin. As he looked up from his book, Lily gasped slightly at the dark circles under his eyes and noticed the tremble in his hands as they held his books tight. Shaking off the worry, Lily closed the gap between them, Oscar in tow. "Hugo, I'd like to formally introduce you to my boyfriend, Oscar."

"It's nice to meet you Hugo," Oscar said kindly, stretching out a hand, which Hugo shook awkwardly, having to shuffle his books around in his arms.

Lily watched Hugo open his mouth and already anticipated the words that would come out. "Don't worry Hugh, Ariana already scared the nargles out of him with threats." She laughed lightly as she remembered Ariana's promise to make sure he wouldn't have children if he ever hurt Lily.

This seemed to take Hugo back a bit but he quickly recovered and painted a serious face across his features. "Ok, then just know this, Oscar. Our family is a big one and if you hurt one of us, you hurt us all." Lily watched as Oscar gulped hard, nodding his head at Hugo in reassurance. When she turned back to Hugo, he seemed lost in a train of thought. Perhaps he was contemplating his words and applying to his own situation.

"I'm going to go talk to Seb," Oscar said leaning down to kiss the top of Lily's forehead whilst caressing the hair from her face. All around them, Lily could feel the other students staring at her. With a squeeze of her hand, Oscar let go and moved towards the front of the line.

Not wanting her classmates to hear more than they deserved, Lily moved up to Hugo and leaned against the cold wall, facing her cousin. "How are you Hugo?" She tried to sound casual but they both know the underlying message of her words. Even as she said them, the memories of all the injuries Hugo had dealt with surfaced and Lily felt her stomach churn in response.

"I'm fine," Hugo answered flatly, unknowingly tugging on his sleeves. "How did you and Oscar happen? I thought you had a crush on Scorpius?"

Lily shrugged, trying to shake the image of the blood running down Hugo's hands from her mind. "What I feel - I mean felt - for Scorpius is something that my family could never support and you guys mean so much to me. It's better to at least attempt to move on now to make it easier on myself. I just have to forget about him."

Looking slightly taken back, Hugo slowly nodded his head before talking. "I see where you're coming from but you have to understand that your family will be happy for you no matter. Sure it would take some time but they'd realise that Scorpius makes you happy and have to come to terms without else they would risk losing you." He offered her a weak smile which Lily returned, although she was kind of confused.

"I don't understand. I thought you stood with Dom on the whole Scorpius matter. Now you're telling me that I should hurt my brother just to get what I want."

"No!" Hugo said hastily before thinking, his eyes staring at the ceiling. Right now Lily knew he was formulating his best response, something that would make complete sense to everyone. "I was merely remarking the fact that your brothers have never stopped you before. You always find a way around everything and I don't see why your relationship with Scorpius would be the except. For me, all that matters is that you are happy. Plus that Oscar guy gives me bad vibes, like he's a bit fake or something."

Hugo had given her a lot to think about and thankfully, what with her first class of the day being History of Magic, she had a lot of time to think about it. Could she really move on from Scorpius or is her relationship with Oscar nothing more than wishful thinking?

* * *

_Author's Note: Oh is there trouble in paradise for Lily and Oscar already? I hope you like this chapter, I'd love to hear the thoughts rattling around in your brain. I think that I've just added another plotline, if you can spot it, and if my calculations are correct (refers to notes quickly), I've got 5 different plots interwoven within this story, with Lily and Scorpius' relationship being the main one._

_The next chapter will end dramatically. That I can promise. But hopefully I can get the next chapter out before my exams. If so, then it will be the last one until my exams. If not, then apologies but it's just me valuing my education ... or my mum has taken my laptop away!_


	18. Emotion Overload

For once, Lily Potter was actually excited for Valentine's Day.

Standing in front of the floor-length mirror in her dormitory, Lily twisted in a circle, trying to see her entire body from all angles. She was wearing a beautiful black dress that had long sleeves reaching to her wrists and a tutu skirt that stopped a couple of inches before her knees. Paired with some black wedges and smoky eyes, Lily twirled again and smiled.

Behind Lily, Phoebe wolf-whistled loudly. "Bloody hell Lils! You look so hot right now!" Lily blushed as she tucked a curl behind her ear and walked steadily to her bed. Phoebe was looking pretty hot too in her pale green crop top and matching skirt that started at her hips and stopped at her knees.

"You too," Lily squealed, locating her purse and sorting the contents.

From the bathroom came the voice of Ariana. "Can someone bring me my sewing kit please?" Seeing as Phoebe was closer to Ariana's trunk, she quickly retrieved the sewing kit and disappeared into the bathroom, where a murmur of conversation started up.

Lily peered at the door of the bathroom and when she was sure no one was coming, she moved her hands under her pillow and pulled out a card she had received early thing morning. At first, she thought it was Oscar, sending her a card. However within the heart-covered card was no name, just the words _'You belong with me'_. Immediately she knew the card was from Scorpius. But she couldn't bring herself to throw it away. Holding the card close to her heart, Lily moved to her trunk and began rummaging through until she reached the bottom. She pulled out Scorpius' jacket and slipped the card inside to keep it safe.

Voices grew louder from the bathroom. Lily just had enough time before Ariana and Phoebe walked back into the dormitory, laughing at something Lily had no idea about. While Phoebe went to put her shoes on, Ariana threw her sewing kit into her trunk and then leaned against one of the post of Lily's bed. "You'll be breaking hearts tonight in that outfit, Miss Potter. I think a certain snake might just have to pick his jaw up off of the floor after seeing you."

Lily laughed lightly, stuffing lip balm into her purse. "And I'm sure my brother will realise he's an idiot worthy of a medal and finally sweep you off your feet. You look like a model Ari!" Her best friend really was beautiful, which only reinforced Lily's theory that Albus was dropped on his head as a baby. She was wearing a blood-red, floor-length, strapless dress that hugged her body and made use of her 'assets'.

"Hurry up Dom!" Phoebe called out, locating her other sandal and slipping it on her foot.

"Oh my Merlin!" Dominique gasped, emerging from the bathroom. "Keep your robes on!" She flicked her hair back and looked at us with a confused expression. It was then that Lily realised her jaw was hanging open, as were her other friends. Dominique looked spectacular, even by Veela standards. Her golden dress flickered under the lantern's light, glistening beautifully. The dress made Lily's cousin look like she was worth all the money in Gringotts.

"I have such good looking friends," Phoebe said to herself. Everyone burst out laughing. "Now come on, let's go!" she managed in between giggles.

Getting to her feet and grabbing her purse off her bed, Lily looped arms with Dominique and left their dormitory, walking down the stairs to the common room. "You look absolutely beautiful Dom!" Lily exclaimed, holding herself up with the help of the wall. The stairs weren't very even and especially in heels, Lily was in danger of falling, which wouldn't be a good idea.

In response, Dominique tossed her hair off her shoulder and beamed at Lily, clenching her arm tighter as if she sensed Lily was worried about her clumsiness. "You don't look too bad yourself Lils. Oscar is one lucky boy." She beamed at her and then looked behind to check Ariana and Phoebe were following.

"But I don't understand why you're going to the Ball with Noah Barnsley instead of Sebastian? Everyone thought the two of you were going out but hadn't made it 'official' just like Phoebe and Franklin." Noah was a Slytherin and it was common knowledge that Sebastian and Noah didn't get along. Which made it even weirder when Dominique told everyone she was going with him to the Ball. However Barnsley was very handsome, but Lily was a committed girl. Oh who was she kidding, he was gorgeous.

They reached the common room which was only filled with first and second years which weren't allowed to go the Ball without an invitation. Briefly Lily remembered that being her last year, the day Scorpius said he would never date anyone younger than him and now look where they were. Were all Slytherin boys destined to be good-looking? Scorpius. Noah. Even Albus (but only because attractiveness ran in the family). Actually thinking about it, there was a guy in Percy's year that had the face of a horse.

"We had a fight," Dominique explained, strutting through the common room and out of the portrait hole - they were meeting everyone outside the Great Hall. "It was so silly and I don't even remember what it was about. He stormed off and the next thing I heard was that Sebastian was taking Violet. You know how much I hate that girl." It's true. Violet Brown, one of the other Gryffindor girls they shared a dormitory with, was not the biggest fan of Dominique and the feeling was mutual. "So I asked Noah because I knew it would annoy Seb! And trust me, there's nothing romantic going on between us. He is like my best friend. Or he was."

"Maybe that's why he asked Violet to the Ball?" Lily questioned, thinking about her cousin's situation as they took a shortcut behind the tapestry. "Maybe he's tired of being your friend and wants something more. It certainly seemed like more at his birthday party. Perhaps he was hurt when nothing became of it."

"I hate it when you go all Dumbledore on me Lils," Dominique moaned. But Lily watched her cousin absorb what she had said and finally she conceded. "You might be right though," she confessed.

"Did you guys hear that?" Lily called back to Phoebe and Ariana, who were talking about Ariana's date for the evening, Scott Lawson from Hufflepuff. They were discussing his new haircut which suited him so much better, when Lily interrupted them. When she had their attention, Lily continued. "Dom just admitted I was right."

"Are you feeling alright Dom?" Phoebe instantly laughed and the four of them burst out laughing quite loudly. In the distance the soft sounds of a string orchestra could be heard, the melodies echoing through the corridors and matching the giggles. Although all four of them were laughing, Dominique's was completely fake and after a few dramatic motions, her face instantly grew serious and the laughter only doubled as Dominique scowled at her friends and cousin, protesting that she would easily admitted someone was right when they were.

By the time they reached the gigantic doors to the Great Hall that were wide open, allowing the violinists and the like to have their music reach all ears, the laughter had died down but was still fresh on their lips. Quickly Phoebe ran off, spotting Franklin on the other side, waiting for her with Kaleb and Albus. Lily found Oscar easily enough. He was looking awkwardly around at everyone, having not spotted her. Sebastian was with him but he was preoccupied with Violet. As Lily moved towards him, Dominique saw who he was standing with and made a very disgusting gagging sound before dragging Ariana off in search for their dates.

This left Lily to sneak up on Oscar, which wasn't hard seeing as she was still small even in her heels. Creeping around Percy Higgs, Scorpius' cousin, and a large group of his friends, she managed to get behind Oscar, reaching up to place her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?"

"Is it Professor McGonagall?" he replied jokingly and tore the hands away from his eyes, keeping hold of one as he spun around to look at 'Professor McGonagall'.

His mouth literally dropped open, his eyes sparkling brighter as he took in her appearance. He stumbled over his word, his expression turning into the cute confused face he pulled often. Lily stepped forward, closing the gap between them. She still had to look up at him but the difference wasn't that much. "Should I be concerned that you were expecting Professor McGonagall?" she teased.

"Not one bit," Oscar murmured, his lips turning up into a smile.

Lily tilted her head upwards and felt her lips press against Oscar's, her eyes fixed shut. Her hands filled his and she revelled in the moment, feeling very happy. When she pulled away, she was practically beaming. "I just had to be sure," she said. "Let's go inside."

Hooking an arm around her waist, Oscar led Lily past Sebastian and Violet and towards the entrance of the Great Hall. "You look amazing tonight Lily!" Sebastian called after them and Oscar turned back to warn his best friend off, jokingly of course. Lily blushed and leaned in closer to Oscar, wrapping an arm around his waist as they walked through the tall doors.

"I was going to say that too," Oscar stammered, kissing the top of Lily's head a few times. "You practically took my breath away when I saw you." At this, Lily giggled and Oscar joined in.

The Great Hall was beautifully decorated, with long stretches of white silk lining the walls. At the far end, where the teachers would normally sit, a stage had been built up with an orchestra of string instruments being played without the assistance of people. There were waiters that carried around flutes of juice most likely, dressed in white dress robes to match the décor. And everywhere you looked, there was glitter. Lily instantly knew who had a hand in decorating.

"Lily!" Rose cried, stepping in front of the pair of them with her eyes alight. It was as if she knew Lily was thinking about her. "I'm so glad you could make it, everyone has been asking me if you and Oslo were coming. But don't worry. I told them to mind their own business. You deserve privacy."

"He's called Oscar actually," Lily said, standing a little bit taller against her cousin.

"I need to go and find Kate but have you guys had your picture taken?" By their confused faces, it was clear Rose took their silence as a no. "Well go on! You'll want the picture to remember this moment forever." She gave them a hard shove towards the corner on their right, where a queue of couples were lined up, waiting to have their picture taken in front of a big red heart.

Although she thought it was tacky and stupid, Lily did want to have a picture so she could remember this moment when she was so happy.

While they waited in the queue, Oscar picked up Lily's hands and wound his fingers around her. They froze in her grip as Lily's bracelet slid down her arm slightly and caught his attention. It was her bracelet of a snake, the one Scorpius had given Lily for her twelfth birthday. She'd taken it off after New Years Eve and hadn't worn it since. But Ariana had pointed out that her outfit for the Ball needed a little something extra. "This is a nice bracelet," Oscar remarked, stepping closer to the camera as the queue moved along.

"Thank you," Lily said with a smile, beaming up at Oscar. "It was a birthday present from a few years ago."

"I remember you wearing it all the time last year. Some people thought it wasn't very loyal of you." Even though his words were slightly hurtful, Oscar said them in his kind voice. Lily was worried for a second but she saw Oscar was smiling at her so her worry disappeared quickly.

"Why would they think that? I love being a Gryffindor!"

Pulling her closer to his body, Oscar wrapped his arms around her. "I know that sweetheart but some people thought that you were betraying your House, seeing as you are a lion after all. But I wouldn't worry your pretty little head about it," Oscar said, planting a kiss into Lily's curls.

For a few seconds, Lily did dwell on the secret conversations that were happening behind her back. Did people really feel that way? She let out a deep breath, thoroughly infuriated at the fact people were talking about her without her knowing. It was something she hated. If they could say it behind her back they should be able to say it to her face as well. But Lily didn't want to dwell on the subject any longer; she wanted to have a good night with Oscar so she resolved that she would show them all by helping Gryffindor crush Slytherin in the upcoming game.

The queue moved along and it was soon Lily and Oscar's turn for their picture. Keeping his arm wrapped tightly around Lily's waist, Oscar smiled brightly at the camera, tugging on his dress robes. Lily had one arm around his waist and the other resting on Oscar's chest and although her body was facing Oscar, she managed to turn in time for the flash of the bulb. Quickly they were shuffled from in front of the heart for the next couple.

"Can I have this dance?" Oscar said spontaneously, holding his hand out like the perfect gentleman. Her parents would be proud, if Lily ever got around to telling them. "I know this is a boring song," Oscar continued. "But I want to show you off to everyone." Giggling like a love-struck little girl, Lily nodded and slid her hand into his, allowing him to pull her towards the dance floor, spinning her into oblivion.

###

"Oscar! I really need to stop dancing!" Lily moaned, trying with all her strength to pull Oscar off the dance floor. She didn't realise that he had literally wanted to show her off to everyone, dancing around the entire floor to rub it in their faces. Normally Lily would frown at the idea but she was very happy at this point in her life.

The Ball was fantastic. And Phoebe was right, it was so much better if you are there with your friends - although it was slightly difficult seeing as Sebastian and Dominique still weren't talking. They all laughed and smiled, drinking copious amounts of the punch which only benefited their elated moods. Franklin and Phoebe were acting all cute in the corner, both of them pointing at people around the Hall, whispering and then falling into fits of laughter. Ariana seemed happy with her date for the evening: although when Scott wasn't looking, Ariana would always steal glances at Albus, who was sat on the side-lines looking absolutely bored out of his brains.

But then James' band, Magical Rebels, came onto the stage and the entire Great Hall burst into cheering. Lily had pulled Oscar right up to the front so she could dance and cheer with the rest of the girls that were going crazy for James, Fred and Eddie (however some of them did seem to shout for Roxy too). James dedicated the set to Alicia, who blushed brightly as everyone snapped their attention to her. With a cheeky wink, James kicked the beat and the band then didn't stop for hours.

"Please Oscar!" Lily called over the music. "I can't feel my feet right now!" Whether it was the cute pout on her face or the fact that she nearly fell as she took a step towards the chairs, Lily didn't care because either made Oscar see sense and he supported her to a chair.

"I'll get us some punch!" Oscar shouted and with a kiss on the cheek, he vanished back into crowds.

Lily was having a blast, something she never thought she would say on Valentine's Day. But it was true and she was honestly disappointed that she couldn't dance anymore. Magical Rebels were killing it like a Killing Curse on the stage and everyone was dancing. It was almost mesmerising for Lily, watching the jumping bodies in time with the drum beat James supplied. She was so transfixed that it shocked her when the crowd broke to let someone through.

And what shocked her more was who it was.

Scorpius Malfoy in his grey dress robes that Lily was sure would make his eyes pop, fell out of the mass group of bodies, laughing to himself and pulling someone else out with him. He didn't see Lily, and if he did, she wasn't acknowledge. Probably because he was slightly preoccupied with something else - his lips fixing themselves onto a blonde-haired girl.

It felt as if she had been punched in the stomach by the Whomping Willow. Her head swirled with all her thoughts and emotions coming together in a singular moment, making absolutely no sense, just making her head hurt more. She was over him, she was with Oscar but the kiss bothered her. It hurt when he saw his arms wrap themselves around the girl's waist. It hurt when he stroked the hair from her face before reattaching his lips to hers. It hurt more than she thought it should have. Scorpius didn't want her, didn't need her - that was pretty obvious now. But shouldn't it have been obvious when she started dating Oscar?

With tears choking her throat, Lily picked up her heels that she had kicked off immediately once sat down, and darted through the crowd, pushing herself towards the tall doors, trying to get as far away as possible from Scorpius before she threw up from the sight. Thankfully she made it to a hidden pathway before dinner made an appearance on the floor. She smeared the back of her hand across her lips and flicked her curls over her shoulder, staring down at the splatter in front of her.

The kiss was still burned into her vision, always kissing when she closed her eyes.

At this point, Lily ran even harder, not heading to any direction in particular. She didn't dare go back into the Great Hall for fear of running into Scorpius again. Instead she just took the first available staircase, and then the first right and then the another staircase, continuing on through the castle. Lily had completely lost her way until she found herself on the seventh floor, pacing the corridor in front of an ancient-looking tapestry and wishing she could just hide from the world.

Almost instantly a door appeared, taking Lily by surprise because she was sure it hadn't been there a second ago. Opening the door, she saw a bed with what looked like hundreds of pillows as well as a steaming hot bath that was already filled with bubbly water. The room was lit with hovering candles, emitting a warming glow that enticed her in. Sighing to herself, Lily closed the door behind her, taking off her clothes as she made her way to the bathtub

The water was hot but not scorching, soothing Lily as she sunk deeper into the water until only her head was visible, resting on the side of the bath while the rest of her body relaxes under the strawberry-scented bubbles. Staring up at the blackness that revealed no ceiling to the mysterious room, Lily leaned back and let out a deep breath. The evening had not gone how she had wished. Instantly she was wrapped up in guilt, for she realised that she had left Oscar alone on Valentine's Day without telling him where she was going or why she had left. She felt horrible, utterly horrible.

She brought her knees up and curled her arms around them, trying to make herself seem smaller. A glint of silver caught her eye and when Lily pulled her hand out from within the water, she realised she still wore her bracelet, the one Scorpius had given her. It was beautiful, elegant and the gemstones matched her eyes perfectly. There was a time when she would never take it off, regardless of what other people thought about her House and loyalty. But now she couldn't stand the mere sight of it, seeing as it brought back all of her mixed emotions for Scorpius.

In a fit of anger, she unclasped the fangs from their holds and threw the snake onto the bed of pillows, screaming loudly with every ounce of aggression she had in her.

Suddenly Lily felt extremely dirty - her body and her heart. As she washed herself with products found on a small table next to her, she took extra care with her hair, which unfortunately had small pieces of sick in it. However she couldn't clean Scorpius out from her heart. With a longing sigh, Lily mulled in the water a little longer, wondering if she ever would be able to, before she climbed out of the bath.

The air outside of the warm water didn't chill her like she had dreaded. Quickly she dried herself off and wrapped herself in her towel before sitting at the end of the big bed. It would take a lot of scrubbing but she needed to move on from Scorpius. Too much time had been spent on Scorpius and she owed it to Oscar and Albus to move on and make it work.

By her side, a nightdress that was exactly her size appeared. She changed into the dress, marvelling at how the room seemed to know exactly what she wanted, before climbing into the mass amount of blankets, pulling them up to her chin. Buried under one of the many pillows, Lily found her snake bracelet once more, although she was not immediately reminded of Scorpius kissing that girl this evening.

"I love you but I have to let you go."

Her grip tightened on the bracelet as she bought it to her lips to kiss gently. It wasn't Scorpius himself but it was as close as she was ever going to get. Closing her eyes it wasn't long until sleep took Lily, carrying her away into Scorpius-filled dreams that left tears on her cheeks.

* * *

_Author's Note: I have gone back and re-written the ending to this chapter because I originally wrote it during my exam period and it wasn't very good. It's less of a cliff-hanger in my opinion but it's still sad for me because I can't help but feel sorry for Lily. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and hopefully the chapters will be coming out quicker, seeing as my exams are now over and out of my hands :D_

_Chin up people!_


	19. Repercussions

"What happened to you?" Dominique asked quite loudly, drawing the attention of the surrounding students.

Lily tipped her head to the floor, keeping her eyes focused on her steps as she hurried between the House tables to where Dominique, Ariana and Phoebe were sitting. Without needing to look up, Lily knew everyone was looking at her, their stares burning her back. Thanks to Dominique outburst, they were all interested in the latest drama that usually surrounded the Weasley's and Potter's.

It was lunchtime at Hogwarts Castle and being back in the Great Hall made Lily feel sick. The memories of last night and the Valentine's Ball came flooding back with an audible groan from Lily. She slid onto the bench between Ariana and Dominique and let her head fall onto Ariana's shoulder, letting her hair cover her head. She whimpered and snivelled before flicking the hair from her face and peering up at her best friends and her favourite cousin.

"Are you going to explain where you've been?" Ariana asked with her kind voice. Lily looked up and saw her chocolate eyes swimming in worry and concern. It was only then that Lily considered how she must have worried everyone.

"We've been going crazy looking for you. Oscar has barely slept, none of us have and then all of a sudden, you stroll in like nothing has happened. Where did you go last night?" The harsh words of her cousin struck Lily in her heart. By hiding in her tiny bubble, she had managed to hurt everyone around her who cared.

The truth was Lily had stayed hidden in the mystery room on the seventh floor. She woke up in tears, the images of Scorpius with his arms wrapped around someone else burned into her brain just like in her dreams. It took a while for the tears to dry but when they did, Lily spent her time pacing the room for answers, fingers fiddling with her snake bracelet. Her thoughts and feelings were so confused and conflicting that Lily's head throbbed from the stress of it all. Time passed without Lily's knowledge and she was still no closer to understanding how she felt.

But she had made her decision regarding Scorpius and was determined to stick to it. She had decided to put her snake bracelet back on, to remind her of her decision and her determination to make it work.

Lily knew she couldn't hide out forever, especially since the mystery room didn't provide any food for her. However a change of clothes did magically appear on the bed in front of her and as she dressed in the oversized jumper and burgundy leggings, she figured out what she would do now. Her stomach instantly rumbled, seeing as Lily had thrown up her stomach contents the night before, leaving her feeling empty in more ways than one.

"I'm sorry you guys," Lily pleaded to her girls, her head falling back on Ariana's shoulder. She felt her best friend snake an arm around her waist and Lily sighed. "I wasn't feeling too good and I sort of hid to have a moment to myself and fell asleep accidently. I really didn't mean to worry you. I was just caught off guard and needed to figure it all out in here," she said, tapping her head gently before slumping her shoulders.

"But what happened?" Phoebe asked concerned. She reached over with her hand and found Lily's fingers, grasping them tightly. "I saw you and Oscar dancing and then Oscar was came up to us and asked where you were."

"I saw Scorpius," Lily admitted, dropping her head. "I saw Scorpius kissing another girl and I just couldn't handle it. I know I shouldn't feel this way - I mean I'm with Oscar - but I was so jealous and I just needed to get out and clear my head. I found a quiet room upstairs and fell asleep." For a second, Lily considered telling them about the mysterious room but in the end, decided she had already acted crazy enough.

"Oh Lily," Ariana murmured, holding her tighter.

"I thought I was over him," Lily mumbled. Her voice sounded choked with the tears that were building up in her eyes. "I want to be over him but it's not as easy as I thought. But I'm working through it. For Oscar."

"I'm so sorry Lils," Dominique said and Lily felt her cousin shuffle up the bench to hug her too. From across the table, Phoebe squeezed Lily's hand in reassurance.

"You guys are the best! I promise I won't run off again without talking to one of you."

"That's what I like to hear," Dominique said, kissing the top of Lily's head. "Now let's eat because I think I can hear your stomach growling. That or Hagrid has bought Fluffy the three headed dog back into the castle." The four of them laughed, although Lily's was half-hearted and then started to fill their plates.

"I wouldn't put anything past Hagrid," Phoebe said before stuffing her face with a sandwich slice.

Lunch was fairly easy for Lily. She knew she would have to find Oscar soon and end his worrying too but right now, she needed her friends. There were things Lily wouldn't even dare talk with anyone else with, apart from Hugo perhaps but Lily hated to burden him with her problems when it was so obvious that he had his own to contend with. As she ate, her friends reassured her that they would be there for her and would help in anyway possible, which deeply warmed Lily's heart.

"Thanks you guys! I think the best thing for me right now is to launch myself into Quidditch. The match against Slytherin is soon and I really don't want to lose and let everyone down," Lily declared confidently, determination burning through her heart. She stabbed her fork into her salad and smiled at everyone.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily was drawn to Roxy who was hurrying down of the Gryffindor table with a magazine under her arm, searching for someone. When her eyes fell on Lily, her pace quickened, her expression pulled into one of anxiety. Lily felt her heart drop. Call her a Seer but the look on Roxy as she strutted towards her did not feel right for Lily. She gulped hard and watched as Roxy pulled up in front of them and slid onto the bench next to Phoebe.

"What's up Rox?" Lily asked cautiously, not knowing what to expect. She wanted to expect the worst but she had no idea what the worst would be so it was hard to prepare herself for it.

"Dom, have you seen this week's edition of Witch Weekly?" Roxy asked. Her brown eyes tried to scan the faces of the all the girls, looking for some kind of sign of something Lily had no idea about.

"It's in my room but I haven't had a chance to look at it," Dominique said casually, shrugging her shoulders and picking up some pasta on her fork. She brought it closer to her open lips before her entire body froze in understanding. It took a bit longer for Lily to truly understand too. "What have they said about us?" Dominique sighed, throwing her fork on the table with a clatter.

"It's Lily this time," Roxy said, pulling out the magazine which was the latest Witch Weekly. Already Lily felt like groaning, nothing good ever came out of Witch Weekly when it involved her family. Nevertheless, Lily watched as Roxy pulled open the pages and stopped on page six, where a picture of Lily and Oscar at the Ball last night took up the most space. "It seems they found out about you and Oscar and are having a field day."

This time, Lily really did groan out loud, letting her head fall into her hands as she took deep breaths, trying to blow the stress away. This was the last thing she needed.

"I'll read it," Ariana said and from within Lily's hands, she heard the rustle of paper as her best friend pulled the magazine across the table. She cleared her throat and then began to read the article. "_It seems that Little Lily Potter is not so little anymore as we reveal that she has managed to bag her first boyfriend. The only daughter of the infamous Harry Potter, Head of the Auror Department within the Ministry has reached the turbulent age of dating. This exclusive comes straight from within the walls of Hogwarts as does our headlining picture which features Lily and her boyfriend, a Mr Oscar Rutherford, a Half-Blood from Manchester at the Valentine's Ball that has become an annual event at Hogwarts._

_"Our source tells us that Mr Rutherford first asked the Littlest Potter on a date after Lily won her first Quidditch match as Gryffindor's Seeker. They were then spotted in The Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, laughing and joking around. We are told that on that same day, Lily agreed to be Oscar's girlfriend and they announced it very publicly to everyone in The Great Hall as she argued with Albus Potter, her brother._

_"There has been no comment made by Mr Potter, Lily's famous father but that being said, when we asked him how he felt about his daughter's sudden interest in boys, he seemed quite taken back by the news and didn't even know who Oscar Rutherford was. It seems to us that Lily Potter has been keeping secrets." _There was another rustle of papers and Lily looked up from her hands and saw everyone looking at her, trying to get a read on her reaction.

"Does anyone know if Oscar knows?" Lily asked Roxy, who would be the only person who might know. She just shook her head.

"Did you really not tell Uncle Harry?" Dominique questioned, sipping on her pumpkin juice. "You know he's going to flip when he reads this?"

"I wanted to tell him in person," Lily complained, running her hands through her hair stressfully. "I managed to get Albus and James to promise not to tell him until I had spoken to him. But it looks like someone already ran their mouth off." Her friends knew her reasons for keeping her relationship under wraps. Her family was a big one and it can be quite overwhelming to outsiders, so she didn't want to put Oscar in that situation. She wanted to see if it would go anywhere and if it did, she would have had to introduce Oscar to her parents.

"I need to talk to Oscar!" Lily resolved, knowing this involved him as much as her. Snatching the magazine from the table, she swung her legs off the bench and hurried out of the Great Hall, ignoring the stares she got as she did so. The first place she thought she would look is the common room, suspecting that he would be waiting there fore Lily to return.

Sure enough, when the portrait swung open, it revealed Oscar nervously pacing around the common room with a pained expression contorting his features. When she saw Lily, his eyes widened and filled with what Lily thought to be relief. He rushed to her side, pulling her in for a warm hug. "Where have you been? Are you ok? Are we ok?"

Lily took a deep breath and began her apologies. "I'm sorry for running off at the Ball. I didn't feel very well and I accidently fell asleep somewhere in the castle. But I'm fine honestly. About us though..." Lily paused, trying to find the right words. "That's questionable."

She felt Oscar freeze up in her arms, his hands remaining in mid-stroke across her back. "What's happened?" He pulled away and took a step back, tucking his hands into his pockets awkwardly. Concern and worry were blatant on his face.

"It seems that our relationship has become headline-worthy," Lily complained, showing him the magazine in her hands and flicking to the appropriate page that flashed the smiling picture of last night. "The picture we had taken was leaked to Witch Weekly and the news of us is now public." She patiently waited for him to read the article, perching on the arm of a chair with her hands in her lap.

Whilst waiting, Lily couldn't help but think, if this is what the media were acting like over Lily dating Oscar, imagine the scandal if Lily started dating Scorpius. There would be mayhem whenever they were anywhere public.

Quickly Oscar read the article and then threw the magazine on the chair behind Lily. "That escalated quickly," he murmured quietly and Lily let out a little giggle, knowing the reference to one of her favourite Muggle films.

"I know this isn't ideal and trust me, my next stop is to Professor Creevey to sort out who is the mysterious source Witch Weekly trusts enough, but I need to know if you want to still be with me." Lily dropped her head and fumbled with her fingers nervously. It wouldn't surprise her if he ended it now - a sensible person would. Especially seeing as she ran off on Valentine's Day and ruined the evening. "I can't promise this being the only media attention we get, seeing as it sort of comes with the name. If it's too much though, you can walk away. I'll understand."

There was a moment of deliberation, where Lily stopped breathing whilst she waited for an answer. She would be sad to lose Oscar when she was just starting to be truly happy with him, so yes she would be hurt if he did decide to end it. However she knew how much she was asking of him and therefore she felt obliged to at least give him the choice

After what seemed like ages but probably wasn't even a minute, Lily felt light fingertips under her chin, pressuring her to tilt her head upwards and face Oscar. "By the sound of it, I don't really have a choice," Oscar said with a smile. "I don't want everyone in the entire Wizarding World to think I'm an asshole for breaking up with you."

Lily recognised the joking smile Oscar wore even though his words didn't sound like he wanted to be with her. "There's no need to make it sound like such a chore," she said with traces of a smirk on her lips. A giggle escaped as Oscar picked her up from the chair's arm and kissed her full on the lips. He was respectful though and after a spin in the air, he placed her on her feet but kept her in his arms. "Thank you," Lily murmured, resting her head under Oscar's chin.

"Like I was going to let Witch Weekly stop me," Oscar said, pulling back to look at Lily. He kissed her between her eyebrows. "I have to go quickly but shall I meet you in the library? I know you have a Potions essay that is just waiting to be written." After hugging her once more, Oscar left Gryffindor Tower, leaving a slightly confused Lily behind to go and unwillingly get her parchment and quill from her dormitory.

###

"I just don't understand it," Lily groaned, throwing her quill on the desk angrily. She had been slaving over this Potions homework for over an hour, trying to distract herself from all the whispered conversations that were going on about her and Oscar all around the pair of them in the library. However it wasn't going so well. She let out an annoyed sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. "Why can I not just drop Potions? I suck at it and I would much rather spend my Sunday afternoons doing something actually productive."

"Stick at it sweetheart," Oscar replied, leaning forward to shadow Lily and kiss her on her cheek, bringing out a deep blush as Lily's hair fell to hide it. "It's not too hard. You just have to understand the mystical properties of dragon scales and then the whole potion will make sense." Lily just scowled at him. "I'm sorry," Oscar argued, holding his Transfiguration textbook up defensively. "I basically copied from the textbook so I don't completely understand it myself."

"Which brings me back to Potions being completely useless!" Lily exclaimed, reaching over to grab her quill and then stare at the parchment in front of her. Already she had managed a few paragraphs but she still had 6 inches left to finish. Maybe if she wrote in really big handwriting...

A heavy book slammed on the desk, snapping Lily's head up to look at her big brother James, who was scowling at Oscar. "Oh hi James," Lily said happily, loving the fact that she had a legitimate reason to stop her homework. "You were amazing last night. I didn't stop dancing until I had absolutely lost all feeling in my feet."

"I hope that isn't a permanent injury because I need you on the Quidditch pitch, managed to steal the Ravenclaw's pitch session. All it took was a promise of a date with Eddie. Don't tell him yet though, he doesn't know. Anyway, Fred and I spent this morning spying on Slytherin and they are looking on top form right now so we need the extra practice. See you in the changing rooms in ten?" James asked, running his hands with his hair to mess it up some more.

"I'll just take my work up to my dormitory and then meet you down there," Lily said, collecting her stuff. Secretly she was glad to be able to get out and avoid Potions.

From behind her, Oscar closed his Transfiguration book and made to get up too. "I'll come and watch. I can give you some pointers and all."

"No offence Rutherford but it's a closed practice. The team needs to focus, not worry about smitten students watching in the stands," James said sourly. The venom was not something Lily liked to hear in her brother's voice and she made sure to mention it to him as soon as.

Spinning on the spot, Lily took hold of Oscar's hand tightly. "I'll meet you after practice, alright?" She had to reach, but she managed to kiss Oscar on the lips, ignoring the groan from her brother, before picking everything up and following her brother out of the library. "You know it wouldn't hurt you to be nice to him?" Lily moaned, following James to the staircases.

"It wouldn't hurt you to not kiss when I'm standing right there would it?" James countered.

But Lily just huffed, jumping onto a moving staircase away from James. As she was about to disappear from sight, she quickly stuck her tongue out and saw him do the same.

###

Practice was exhausting. Whatever Fred and James had seen during Slytherin's session in the morning must have gotten them really spooked because Lily had never trained so hard in her life. James had her doing speed drills, racing from one end of the pitch to the other, trying to whittle down the seconds - the best she managed was five seconds from post to post, which was apparently amazing according to Roxy who called her a 'little firecracker'. Then she was to practice pulling up from dives to the ground which pumped her full of adrenaline. At one attempt, she didn't pull up in time and she crashed to the ground, managing to roll out and reduce the impact. Once James was satisfied that she wasn't injured, he forced Lily back in the air to do it again.

By the time Lily turned on her shower head, she was ready for bed.

"Did you sort everything with Oscar?" Roxy asked from the cubicle next door to Lily.

A bottle of shampoo scraped across the tiled floor, hitting Lily's feet. She picked it up and squeezed some of the strawberry-scented product onto her hand before kicking the bottle into the shower next door, which was being used by Ellie Mclaggen, the other Gryffindor Chaser. "I think so. I found him and he seemed ok with our relationship being public. I know I'm asking a lot but I'm glad he is trying to understand because I really like him and it would be humiliating now that everyone knows if he did decide to end it." Lily stuck her head under the shower head to wash all the shampoo out.

"Oh Lily, you and Oscar really suit!" Ellie squealed in her high-pitched voice. "I saw you last night in that brown dress you were wearing. You looked absolutely amazing."

"My dress wasn't brown though," Lily said confusingly. "It was black."

"It may have been black, the lighting was all funny in the Hall. Everything looked lighter than what it actually was. Anyway it was definitely you because I saw Oscar," Ellie replied.

That was a bit strange. But Lily just shrugged it off as a mere misunderstanding and bent down to get the conditioner that had just skidded to her feet. She quickly finished her shower and Charmed her hair to begin drying while she towelled herself off and dressed in yoga pants, vest top and hoodie. "I'll see you guys later," Lily called back to the showers, where Ellie and Roxy still were, discussing a sixth year who had asked Ellie to be his girlfriend, and then left the changing rooms and started up to the castle.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Oscar's voice sounded loudly behind Lily and she watched him get up from the ground, brushing the dirt off his jeans. The sun was already beginning to set, casting beautiful rays of dying sunlight onto Oscar's brown hair. "Did you have a good practice?"

"I don't think I've ever trained so hard in my life," Lily moaned, wrapping an arm around Oscar as he did the same. The pair started walking up the grounds, leaving the sunset behind them. "We better win against Slytherin because I ache everywhere right now and I want it to be worth all this pain."

"I believe you can beat those snakes," Oscar said, pausing to kiss Lily on the top of the head.

Stopping in her tracks, Lily turned to look at Oscar, admiring how the sunlight created a whole new light over Oscar's features. She reached up to stroke the hair from his face and caress his cheek gently. Regardless of everything that happened last night, accompanied with the newly forming bruises across her body, Lily felt so happy to still have Oscar. He may not be Scorpius, with his penetrating stare that warmed and chilled Lily at the same time, but as Lily stood in Oscar's arms, she couldn't help but smile.

"We're all good right?" Lily asked, hoping his answer wouldn't ruin her happy mood.

"Of course!" Oscar said quietly, leaning down to press his lips onto her. They lingered there for a few seconds while Lily revelled in the moment before she was being pushed aside.

Her eyes snapped open and Lily saw James standing in front of her with his arms folded. Behind him with Fred, his position mimicking James perfectly. "What is your problem James? Because if you are going to lay into me because I crashed today, save it! I have the bruises to show for it and that's enough of a reminder not to do it again."

"I don't want you seeing Oscar until the match is over. Only in classes when it can't be avoided," James said, casting a scowl at Oscar before turning a gentler face to Lily.

"James, I know you like to be protective but we've already had this conversation," Lily said. She took a defiant step towards Oscar and grasped his hand in hers. "I'm with Oscar and nothing you can say will change that."

"No distractions Lily!" James' voice was stern. "I want you to completely focus on beating Slytherin. No boyfriends, no homework stress because I persuaded Hugo to help you with it. I need you to be at your best Lily and if that means you hating me for a couple of weeks then fine. Just no more distractions."

"I won't promise you anything but my utmost best in training. That's all you can ask of me," Lily argued. "So please stay out of the rest of my life before you become a distraction." Tugging Oscar behind her, Lily stormed up the grounds, stamping out all of her aggression in her steps. By the time they had reached the castle itself, she was much more relaxed. "I'm sorry about him," Lily apologised at Oscar, slowing her pace down so they could walk side by side.

"It's fine. He just wants to win, that's all." Oscar was oddly ok with everything. It seems he had learnt that whenever there was a Potter fight, it was best to stay out of it. "I don't want to be the reason we lose."

"Just ignore James," Lily said, kissing him on the cheek. "Most of us do."

Both of them went straight to the Great Hall for dinner, finding Sebastian and Violet eating with Franklin and Phoebe. Although the conversation flowed well between the two Longbottom brothers, Phoebe and Violet sat in silence practically. When Lily and Oscar arrived, it was clear to her that Phoebe was relieved that she finally had someone to talk to. They both gossiped and Phoebe filled her in with everything she missed after she left the Ball the night before. Whilst discussing Ariana and Scott, who apparently had a great night but didn't hit it off, Phoebe remembered something. "Oh yeah, by the way, your family owl Henry was in the dormitory last time I checked."

Lily felt as if a rock had been dropped into her stomach. If Henry was at Hogwarts, it meant that there was a letter from home. No doubt in light of the recent article, it would be from her father demanding why she didn't tell her. It would probably include the same rant she had heard from James and Albus too, of course. She knew she would have to write back straight away otherwise she would get a Howler.

"I'll meet you back at the common room," Lily said as she turned to Oscar. "I've got a letter in my room that I have to write back to else there will be trouble."

"Ok honey."

And with a kiss, Lily climbed from the bench and hurried up the aisle out of the Great Hall.

###

_Lily Potter,_

Instantly Lily recognised the writing to be that of her mother's and let out a built-up breath. She had been expecting to read the scrawl of her father but it was comforting to see her mother's more elegant words. So she continued.

_I'm sure you know why I'm writing this letter as I know both Dominique and Roxy have postal subscriptions to Witch Weekly. Your father and I were shocked when we were ambushed after a Ministry function last night by several reporters, what with them claiming you had your first serious boyfriend. It was irresponsible of you to tell so many before you told your family. The situation may have been dealt with better had you given us some warning on the matter._

_I understand why you didn't tell your father. His reaction was not the best if I'm honest: he has shut himself up in his study and didn't even come up to bed last night, although I heard him downstairs banging about. I don't need to tell you that your secrecy has hurt him deeply. He feels betrayed and lied to; two things that your father cannot stand. I just hope you had a great speech planned for when you come back from the Easter holidays. If not, write him a letter. I promise to stop him if he tries to send a Howler._

That's a relief!

_And although I understand why you didn't tell me either, I can't say I'm not slightly hurt. I know that you are surrounded by cousins that you can talk to, not forgetting Ariana and Phoebe too. But I had hoped that you hadn't reached that age where you could no longer tell me things. I may be slightly hot-tempered but the bottom line is always that I love you unconditionally, faults, mistakes and everything else. I know you are growing up and soon I'll have to come to terms with the fact that I'm not a cool mother. However I want you to know that I'm always here for you, whether it's for a heart-to-heart or just a good cuddle._

Lily found it hard to believe that anyone could have a better mum than Lily. Even if she flipped her lid if they tracked mud into the house, or whether she embarrassed everyone by getting out all the baby photos of Lily that showed her to be the chubbiest kid in both the Wizarding and the Muggle Worlds, Lily's mum was still the best. And dare she say it, Ginny may be a bit cool as well.

_Don't worry about the article. I have already sent a letter to Professor Creevey, asking for the culprit behind this source to be found and he assured me that he will be looking into it. I'm sure he'll call you to his office at some point in the next few days. Also I spoke to Teddy over the phone today and we've decided that we're going to sue Witch Weekly. Technically, and I only know this because I spoke to someone in the Legal Department at the Prophet, the picture belonged to you and to Oscar so they needed your permission to publish it, which they didn't have. Don't worry, Teddy is taking care of this personally and hopefully it will be resolved soon seeing as we've threatened to take the story to the Prophet. _

"It's official," Lily concluded, muttering her thoughts to herself. "Mum, you are the coolest!"

_With lots of love,_

_Mum_

_Oh and Oscar looks like a cutie, you must tell me more and maybe invite him round for dinner. Have you kissed him yet? No tongues I hope! Your father would risk an Azkaban sentence if he found out you had been kissing._

"Maybe not the coolest," Lily corrected, smiling to herself as she folded up the letter and then leaned across her bed for her bag.

She pulled out some parchment and her quill and inkwell. It took her a while to write her response. In all honesty, her mother was so amazing and had always been there for her. They had become so close when Albus and James went off to Hogwarts, leaving the girls alone together to bond until nothing came between them. She knew that she could tell her mother anything and she did. She wrote paragraphs on Oscar and their first date and how happy he made her and the Valentine's Ball (although she did miss out Scorpius and how the night ended because Lily was trying to forget it herself).

Once finished, she rolled up the parchment and with her wand's help, shrank the scroll down so it was smaller. Then she tied it to the foot of Henry, who patiently stuck his foot out as she fumbled over the knot. He ruffled his feathers once Lily had finished and she stroked his soft feathers, holding out her arm so he could hop on. Carrying him to the window, she leaned out, the wind whipping her hair into her face and she threw Henry into the air, watching him recover quickly and then fade with the sun's last light.

* * *

_Author's Note: I keep meaning to finish beyond where I actually do finish. Not much of a cliff-hanger this time round, however I can promise that although the next chapter may be shorter, it will finish dramatically. I love what is about to happen and how it will affect the characters. A lot is about to kick off and it's going to be blow up big time_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter and for your own personal pleasure, have some background knowledge: Henry, the family owl for official Potter business, is named after my inflatable pet zebra, who is coincidently called Henry too. Funny that! _


	20. Snakes Versus Lions

It took a couple of days but thankfully the hype surrounding Lily and Oscar died down and they were allowed to return to normality. No one stared at them when they walked past and no one stopped their conversations suddenly when they walked into the room. It was comforting to know that they were no longer the centre of attention, it helped Lily relax.

However people always need something to talk about and it wasn't long until the pair had been replaced with excitement about the next match in the Quidditch House Cup. It was an dramatic one, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Even though the prejudice between Houses wasn't as defined as it used to be, there was always tension between Gryffindor and Slytherin when their match came up.

And Lily was dreading it. Ever since Valentine's Day, James had become a slave-driver, working his team to the maximum until they were too exhausted to do anything but sleep. At first, Lily thought it was all a scheme to keep Lily away from Oscar but when she found James asleep in the common room, one morning after practice, she knew all his hard work was because he just really wanted to win. No one liked to lose to Albus - he was such a bragger.

As the match grew closer, Lily saw less and less of Oscar. It seemed like they always ran in different circles. When he wanted to have dinner together, Lily had to skip it to get her homework done and when she wanted to go for a walk around the Grounds, she could never seem to find Oscar. They hung out in the common room from time to time but everyone was with them. It was rare for both of them to have some alone time.

She may not have seen lots of Oscar but it seemed as they got closer to the match, she saw more and more of Scorpius. Every corner she rounded had Scorpius lurking in the shadows. At first, he was just there to intimidate her before the upcoming match, trying to get in her head and throw her off her game. But Lily held strong and didn't retaliate. After that, it seemed Scorpius took a different tactic - a more personal one.

"If it isn't my favourite little red head!" Scorpius' deep voice echoed down the empty corridor, bouncing off the stone walls. Behind her, his footsteps grew louder as they headed in Lily's direction. Rolling her eyes, Lily put on a frown and spun on her heels with a hip popped out and her arms crossed. "Whoa!" Scorpius cried, hands flying up to a defensive position as he continued towards her. "No need to frown."

"What do you want Scorpius?" Lily asked quietly when he was close enough to hear. Even from this distance, she could see his grey eyes brighten with an unknown spark. Her heart clenched tight and Lily frowned harder, trying to push her feelings down before they clouded her mind.

"You," Scorpius said simply. "Other things too like some Chinese food and an Outstanding in all my O.W.L.s but mainly you." He took a step closer and took a deep breath in, staring into her eyes, probably reading her reaction like a book. "I miss you," he whispered attentively, reaching for her hand before Lily could register the movement and pull her hand away.

"I'm with Oscar?" Lily said with a wavering voice.

She kept getting distracted as he traced patterns with his thumbs across her hand, not being able to day what she wanted to. "You don't sound sure about that," Scorpius remarked with a raised eyebrow. Their bodies were almost touching by now. "Admit it Lily, you know Oscar isn't the one for you. Just give in and be mine. I can treat you ten times better than that bloody lion."

Frozen on the point, Lily watched as Scorpius brought his spare hand, running it across her arm, up her neck to cup her cheek. Unknowingly she leaned in towards Scorpius, her heart hammering against her ribcage. She knew what was going to happen, saw the intent in his beautifully deep grey eyes, and couldn't seem to gain control of her body to stop. Just as she thought their lips were about to touch, she watched the all too common smirk fall upon Scorpius' lips and managed a step back.

"You're an asshole Scorpius!" Lily said, finally coming to her senses and realising that this was just Scorpius' way of throwing her off her game. "I can't believe you would stoop so low as to try and manipulate my feelings just to win a Quidditch match. This is hard enough without you messing me around." Snatching her hand out of his grasp, she stared at him coldly, feeling betrayed and hurt, and continued to take steps back.

"I meant every word of what I said Lily," Scorpius said, taking a cautious step forward. Instantly Lily whipped her wand out from her waistband and pointed it at Scorpius, warning him not to come any closer. He heeded the threat and remained where he stood, hands up defensively. "I can't stop thinking about you Lils. Every room I enter, I always find myself looking for you first. I don't care what Albus thinks. If he can't see how happy I am with you, he's not the best friend I thought. All I want is the chance to make you happy Lily." His grey eyes were filled with emotion, pleading her to see reason.

Her grip loosened on her wand, she was no longer committed to hurting Scorpius. But she didn't lower it. "I'm with Oscar. I need you to respect my decision and move on like I'm trying to do."

"You may like him but you don't love him," Scorpius countered quickly.

Slowly Lily began taking a few more paces backwards, her eyes fixed on Scorpius. "So I must be selfish and love you, no matter the consequences we may bring on my family and yours?" Her heart was aching with a lost longing Lily had thought she had buried on Valentine's Day.

"It's not selfish to follow your heart Lily," Scorpius stated with a small step forward.

However Lily didn't react to the movement with her wand, her thoughts were too busy deciphering what her head and heart wanted. "I'm only thirteen Scorpius. I don't know what I want, my heart doesn't know. I've so much to learn about life and love that right now, I just want to be with someone who makes me laugh and smile."

"I can do all those things for you Lily, if you just let me."

Lily shook her head, tightening her grip on her wand. "I can't focus on this right now. I need to focus on the match and I can't do that if my head is all scrambled with thoughts of you Scorpius." As sadness took over her expression, she quickly casted the Jelly Legs Jinx on Scorpius, knowing that by the time he got his wand out and casted the counter-spell, she would have disappeared around the corner.

###

On the morning of the match, Lily awoke early and sat up in her bed, staring at her feet under the covers and running over everything that was expected of her today. In the past few days, she had been training harder than ever before, trying to make up for her lapse in focus after Scorpius. She hadn't seen him since the corridor incident, although as a precaution, she never walked through the castle by herself anymore. Instead she had channelled all her energy into training, which left her too exhausted to do anything but sleep, which didn't leave her with a lot of time with her friends and Oscar.

Taking a deep breath, Lily pulled back the curtains of her bed and made to get out of bed. There was a small hoot that caught Lily's attention. Looking at the partially-opened window, she spotted Henry and held out her arm. The owl fluttered carelessly and then landed on Lily's arm, holding out his leg so Lily could remove the letter. She opened the parchment and read the words of her mother.

_My wonderful Lily,_

_Your father and I just wanted to write to you and wish you good luck today for your Quidditch match. Unfortunately we won't be able to come up and watch the match because your father is busy with training the Aurors today and I have to cover the official choosing of the England Quidditch team. But we will be thinking of you and wanted you to know that we are very proud of you. I bet James has been acting like an evil dictator so tell him good luck from us and also to relax. I would tell you to say the same thing to Albus but I can bet James has put you under strict orders not to talk to any of Slytherin. That boy really shouldn't be given power, he's like Dominique - it goes straight to his head._

_Anyway good luck and make us proud!_

_Mum and Dad_

Smiling to herself, Lily ruffled Henry's feathers softly, reading the letter again. However Henry demanded more attention and hooted loudly, waking the entire dormitory up in the process. The funniest reaction to Henry was Dominique sitting bolt upright, muttering something about kissing Professor Wilson - Lily had to stifle her giggles as she carried Henry towards the window to let him fly home. The only person who managed to stay sleeping was Phoebe, who had been known to sleep through thunderstorms.

"I shotgun the showers first!" Rainbow cried, throwing her covers back and jumping out of bed very cheerfully. Lily had to remind herself that most people were excited about the Quidditch match, not nervous like Lily was. She watched Rainbow gather her things happily with a small amount of envy.

"Me too," Violet said awkwardly, scrambling back and when Lily looked back, she saw her cousin scowling at Violet as she left for the bathroom.

Clearly she was still bitter about Violet and Sebastian, who had been dating for a couple of weeks now. She knew it was hard for her cousin because she didn't just lose her chance with Sebastian, but she lost her best friend and that hit Dominique harder than anything else. In an attempt to comfort her, Lily climbed into Dominique's bed and cuddled up to her.

"It will all work itself out soon Dom," Lily assured her, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Hopefully," Dominique replied wishfully. "How are the butterflies?"

"Under control for the moment but I know that won't last too long." Instinctively, Lily's hand fell to her stomach under the covers, feeling the unease that had begun as soon as she had woken up. "I just wish James hadn't put so much pressure on me. I swear if I hear 'it's all down to you Lils' one more time, I will have to punch him in the face."

"You'll be amazing!" Ariana said, wrapping a dressing gown around her frame and sitting down at the foot of Dominique's bed. "We've all seen you fly and I know you'll be fantastic." She smiled at Lily as she piled her hair into a bun before leaning over and patting Lily's leg.

"Plus, I just thought of the most amazing tactic ever, that will ensure you'll win!" Dominique squealed as her idea sparked a twinkle in her eyes. "We just have to make sure you look amazing so Scorpius gets distracted and then you can catch the Snitch."

"I don't know?" Lily said in a wavering voice.

"Just consider it as revenge for what happened in the corridor. He tried to throw you off your game, now it's time to do the same," Dominique said with a satisfied smirk on her face that often scared Lily. However she knew she couldn't argue with her cousin so Lily unwillingly agreed. "Brilliant, let's get to work."

"Shouldn't we wake up for Phoebe up first?" Ariana asked innocently. The three of them all shared a grinning look and then crept out of Dominique's bed, tiptoeing their way across the dormitory to Phoebe's bed. They all positioned themselves on either side and then Dominique mouthed a countdown. On three, all of them jumped onto Phoebe in a mass bundle, cheering loudly and shouting at Phoebe to wake up.

It worked and soon a sleepy Phoebe was trying to wrestle them all off her. However when she realised it was useless, she gave up and started laughing. It wasn't long until they all joined in, with Lily's butterflies disappearing.

###

Unfortunately, the butterflies did return, worse than before. As Lily approached the giant doors of the Great Hall, she gulped hard and held onto Ariana tightly. Already the students inside sounded loud, so loud that all Lily wanted to do was sneak off to the kitchens and have a peaceful breakfast. However she summoned some of her Gryffindor bravery and walked through the tall doors, not expecting the reception she received.

The last time Lily had played Quidditch, no one knew that she was playing, which meant no one really cared about her in the morning before the match. This time round however, once Lily had crossed the threshold, the Great Hall erupted into rambunctious cheering and whooping, emanating from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, with the lions obviously being the loudest. There were a few boo's from Slytherin but Lily would have expected nothing less from the snakes on a day like today.

Quickly a blush grew across Lily's cheeks and she dropped her hair to hide it as she let Ariana pull her to the Gryffindor table. On the way there, lots of random people were coming up to Lily, saying 'good luck' and wishing her the best. She smiled in reply but was relieved as she sat down between Oscar and Ariana. The attention was overwhelming, causing the butterflies in her stomach to take flight and flutter insanely fast. It was a shame that the sensation made her feel sick with nerves because the food looked amazing - the house-elves had really outdone themselves this time.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" Oscar asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer until she was almost on his lap. He planted a small kiss on her lips, which helped Lily a bit.

"I'm ok, just full of nerves," Lily replied, looking up at his brown eyes. It had been two days since they had a conversation that lasted more than a minute so Lily was thankful for the time she had. "I'm sure I'll be ok once I get on the pitch."

"Don't worry Lils! We all know you are the best flyer at Hogwarts. Malfoy won't be able to catch you once you get started." Oscar's faith in her abilities was humbling and made her smile slightly. She managed to take some comfort in the fact her boyfriend was so proud of her and believed in her so much.

"HEY LILY!" Sebastian called from a little way up the table. "You better win today! I bet Noah Barnsley 5 Galleons on Gryffindor!"

"You don't have 5 Galleons!" Franklin, Sebastian's older brother shouted from the other side of Lily, where he was eating with Phoebe.

"That's why I need you all to win!" Sebastian cried, and the surrounding students fell into small bursts of laughter. Lily even spotted Dominique laughing into her cereal, which only made Lily sure that she was missing the youngest Longbottom more than she let on.

Sebastian's bet didn't make the butterflies in Lily's stomach any better and soon her laughter began to sound more nervous. She really didn't want to be the reason loads of lions lost their money today. It only added to the burden Lily already felt was too heavy to carry. Being the good boyfriend that he is, Oscar soon stepped in, sensing Lily's unease.

"Don't go putting added pressure on Lily, Seb! She's got enough to deal with without worrying about your gambling habits!" Oscar glared at his best friend, who held up his hands and apologised.

"Thank you," Lily murmured, looking up at Oscar again. It was these moments that made Lily happy to be with him, that made her know she made the right decision for everyone. In response, Oscar kissed her nose gently.

A large hand clamped on Lily's shoulder, making her flinch slightly. When she turned to see who it was, she grimaced at the face of her brother. His hair was extra messy today, like he had run his hands through it several times. And if the dark circles under his eyes were anything to go by, Lily would have guessed that James didn't get a lot of sleep last night. "Don't worry, I'm saving the speech for later. I just wanted to reward you for all the hard training you've put in for this match. It means a lot to me that we win so thank you." It did mean a lot to him. He was already slightly overshadowed by their dad, the famous Harry Potter. But if he could win the Cup as Captain, he would leave Hogwarts with a legacy and his head held high.

"Therefore, I think it's only right that you have some bacon for breakfast. It'll give you a boost!"

Lily's eyes widened in shock. She had been on a strict diet to keep her light on her broom and hadn't been able to eat bacon in what felt like months. Quickly she reached up and hugged her brother, thanking him several times before turning swiftly back to the table of food and piling bacon and eggs on her plate before James could stop her. The food dulled the butterflies and made Lily feel a bit better about the match.

After breakfast, the team started making their way down to the changing rooms. Briefly Lily kissed Oscar and hugged Ariana and Dominique before joining Roxy who had fallen into step behind James and Fred. The Great Hall was cheering again, for the most part, and by the looks of it, James had resolved his issues and just decided to enjoy the experience, seeing as he was encouraging the crowds with Fred. Looking at Roxy, Lily smiled and at the same time, the pair of them rolled their eyes, following their brothers out of the Great Hall.

All of a sudden, the bacon and eggs seemed like a bad idea. Her stomach began to churn uneasily and the butterflies were even more intense. Gently Lily rubbed her stomach as they walked through the Grounds, trying to swallow the nerves down and keep them down. It seemed to take them no time at all before they reached the pitch. Glancing back, she saw the snakes following them and then at the top of the hills, all the students pouring out of the castle. Lily gulped hard and hurried across the pitch and into the changing room.

Quickly she dressed in her Quidditch robes, struggling with her protective padding - what with her hands shaking too much. In the end, she needed the help of her wand to securely tie her knots. Then she quickly ran into the toilets, slamming the door shut and locking it before sliding to the floor with her head between her knees. She wasn't sure if she was going to throw up or hyperventilate. Choosing a crack on the floor, she focused her mind and took deep breaths.

Why was she so much more nervous than last time? If anything, she should be less nervous because she's already done this before. However she had never gone up against Scorpius. For Merlin's sake, why did it always come back to Malfoy? She hated herself for letting him get to her so badly. Whatever he was trying to accomplish over these last few weeks, worming his way into her head and messing it up, he sure had succeeded. She ran her hands through her hair and let out a deep breath, pushing out all her worry until she was calmer. Then she got to her feet and moved to the sink.

In the mirror, she fully saw what Ariana, Dominique and Phoebe had done to her that morning. Her eyeliner was subtle but more feline, defining her eyes but she had said no to mascara because sometimes her eyes would water in the air. The blush on her cheeks was unnecessary because soon it would be replaced by the rush of cold air, but it did make her look less pale. Her lip balm had a tint of pink that complemented her cheeks. Overall, it was understated but effective in bringing out Lily's best features. Taking another deep breath, she quickly went to the toilet, washed her hands and exited, joining her teammates on the benches with her Lightning Bolt in her hand.

"Alright team!" James began. It seemed they had been waiting for Lily. "This is a big one, I don't need to tell you all that but I will. Slytherin have always been our rivals, ever since the Founders. We need to play like we've been training. Rox, Ellie and Frank, you need to remain agile and weave as much as possible. The snakes are fast but are only good at sprinting so make them chase you. Liam, keep your eye on my idiotic brother. His favourite ring is the left so guard it well and don't underestimate him because he will use it to his advantage.

"And Lily, just catch the Snitch before Malfoy." James beamed with pride down at Lily. She had to gulp past the lump in her throat before she could smile back.

Then Eddie's voice boomed across the pitch, ringing in Lily's ears and playing into the hands of her nerves which made her feel sick again. "Ladies and gentlemen, witches and wizards of all ages, it's time for the highly anticipated match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" There was an overwhelming cheer that filled Lily's ears, so loud that she almost missed James' words.

"Come on, gather up!" Everyone rose from their benches and Lily shifted her broom from her right hand to her left hand so she could put it into the middle along with everyone else's. Then all together they shouted, "Let's do this lions!" just as the cheering was dying down. Then James told them all to saddle up and get into their formation, which left Lily at the back, wracked with nerves.

First, Eddie introduced the Slytherin team, all of whom received a hefty amount of boos. Quickly though, it was Lily's turn. She waited until all of teammates had been announced and then pushed off the ground. As she flew a few laps around the pitch, the butterflies and all feelings of nausea were left on the grass while she enjoyed the cheering for her and her team. Lily then landed with the rest of the team, facing her opposition for the match, Scorpius.

Admittedly, he looked amazing, his white blonde hair still messy but pushed far out of his face. Already his grey eyes were alight with the adrenaline that was probably coursing through his veins. The colours of his robes did make him look extremely pale and ill but the redness in his blush deterred that image, making him look healthy and fresh. He sent her a smirk while Percy and James flipped a Galleon to choose sides.

Then Madam Spinnet's voice echoed. "I want a clean game for all of you. Anything other will land you in immediate disqualification and fifty points from your current score."

It seemed that was the cue for Eddie to begin his commentary. "Alright folks, this will be an exciting match, that much is promised. Madam Spinnet has released the Golden Snitch, no doubt Potter and Malfoy will be hunting that down as I speak."

But they weren't. In fact they were staring at each other, completely oblivious to everything else. It wasn't until Madam Spinnet released the Quaffle and blew her whistle that Lily came back to reality. Summoning some Gryffindor courage, she quickly blew what she thought was a seductive kiss to Scorpius and then rose high on her broom surveying the pitch.

Slytherin were the first to catch the Quaffle, with Isaac Zabini swooping it up under his arm and speeding towards the Gryffindor posts. However Roxanne was quickly on him and managed to knock the Quaffle out, climbing high and speeding past Lily before swooping lower and weaving. Then a Bludger skimmed her arm and Roxanne lost control and the Quaffle was quickly picked up by Albus who quickly sprinted towards the other side of the pitch, only to be intercepted by Ellie who launched the Quaffle back to Roxanne.

It was Gryffindor who scored the first goal. However it seemed like no time passed before Albus had his arm around the Quaffle and was speeding towards Liam. He faked for the left ring and as Liam sped to protect the post, Albus directed the Quaffle into the far right ring. Slytherin had equalled.

And so the match continued, practically at the same rhythm, although the snakes were pulling ahead slightly.

For the most part, Lily stayed above the match, keeping tabs on her team but for the most part, looking for a glimmer of gold anywhere in the pitch. All the time she was conscious of Scorpius, who kept his distance but was always watching her as well as the game. Whenever he would try and come anywhere close to her, Lily would fly lower just to get away from him. Right now, she needed to keep her head in the game, focusing on finding the Snitch.

There were a few scares, where Lily caught a flicker of gold in the corner of her eye and sprinted in that direction. Always Scorpius was on her tail, hunting her down. After the second occasion, Lily realised the game plan that Scorpius had. He was waiting for Lily to find the Snitch and then beat her to it. She knew that Slytherin were the fastest team and it seemed they were manipulating Lily.

After this realisation, Lily decided to try and trick Scorpius, making unnecessary nose-dives and pulling up at the last minute, hoping to throw Scorpius off her tail. However the boy had quick reflexes and remained undeterred.

###

A couple of hours passed and the snakes pulled ahead - thanks to Albus' amazing skills - however the lions were keeping close to them. The score was 560 - 470 with Slytherin in the lead. Admittedly, Lily was impressed with Albus' performance. The sister side of her was proud of him but the competitive lion within her was smiling every time James or Fred aimed a Bludger at him.

She hadn't seen any glimmer of gold in probably a quarter of an hours. Everyone was getting tired of the match and this was shown in how easy it was to score, seeing as Liam and Percy were getting too tired to defend their goals well. Even Lily was feeling weary from trying to keep Scorpius off her tail. Mentally she was drained - it was taking every ounce of energy just remain concentrated. Annoyingly Scorpius seemed full of energy and was keeping closer to Lily than ever before.

Albus scored another three goals and Roxy and Franklin scored two each before Lily saw a flutter of golden wings, near the base of Percy's goalposts. Adrenaline instantly coursed through her blood and with a quick glance at Scorpius to see he was hovering near the Gryffindor goals, she launched her broom in chase. The movement caught the crowd's attention as she whizzed around the middle post with her stare fixed on the small Snitch in front of her, and they burst into fits of shouting and cheering, encouraging her and warning Scorpius at the same time.

It wasn't long until the wind whistling in her ear changed in pressure and she knew Scorpius was chasing her. Immediately she leaned closer to the tip of her broom, her chest pressing against it in an effort to make her faster. The cheering increased in volume and she knew he was gaining on her. Ahead she could see the Snitch, twittering through the air, getting closer and closer to her. From the corner of her eye, she could see the black tip of Scorpius' broom behind her. Lily panicked and silently urged her broom to go faster. She reached out her hand, just as Scorpius' hand came into view and suddenly several things happened at once.

Lily's hand closed around the Golden Snitch, its delicate wings fluttering inside. The Gryffindors exploded into a mass wall of sound, their cheering bursting Lily's eardrums. A Bludger entered her vision, speeding straight for her at such a speed she knew in a split second she wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time. Instead a body flashed in front of her and then the crowd took a collective gasp before slowly falling to silence. Falling to the ground was a blonde-haired Slytherin, with Quidditch robes billowing out around him.

Oh no Scorpius!

* * *

_Author's Note: Ah, DRAMA! I don't know why but I hate the quality of this chapter. I wish it was better but I really don't know how to write Quidditch and I didn't want to just completely skip it like I did with Lily's because it is such an important match. I might come back and edit this later on when I get sparks of inspiration but for now, I'll just deal with it._

_For the next chapter, I've written it in my notebook and I just have to type it up. It would appreciate a few reviews before that moment, just to hear some feedback. I hope you enjoy some of this chapter at least, even if I can't :D_


	21. The Hospital Wing

Another heart-breaking scream pierced the silence and Lily had to bite down hard on her lip so she wouldn't burst into tears.

Madam Grice had been tending to Scorpius from behind the white curtain. Every so often a deafening scream - always belonging to Scorpius - would echo through the hospital wing, followed by the hushed speech of Madam Grice as she muttered something unintelligible. She hadn't emerged to tell them how Scorpius was or what his injuries were but by the sound of the screams, it was bad news.

Never had Lily felt so helpless as she stood frozen, her hand tightly wrapped in Ariana's.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ariana whispered into Lily's ear. She squeezed her hand but Lily took no comfort in it. Her mind was too busy replaying the moment Scorpius fell off his broom. Because of a Bludger meant for her.

"It's all my fault," she whispered, saying what she had been thinking all along. "It's all my fault."

Immediately Ariana pressed her lips against Lily's ear so only she would hear the words. "This is not your fault Lily. Never say that. You didn't charm the Bludger to hit Scorpius. And I'm sure were this to ever happen again, Scorpius would happily take a Bludger for you."

At that point, Madam Grice emerged from behind the curtain, slightly taken by how many there were waiting from Scorpius. Lily craned her neck to try and catch a glimpse of Scorpius but the curtain flapped shut without a mere glance. "He'll live," Madam Grice announced and Lily's attention snapped back to the nurse. Everyone breathed a small sigh of relief. People had been known to die from lower falls. "But he's broken his wrist, a couple of ribs and has a concussion as well. Not to mention he is very bruised."

"Can we see him?" Albus asked. He was still in his Quidditch robes like Lily, having had rushed to the hospital wing as soon as it happened.

"I've given him a Sleeping Draught long enough for the spells to take effect without inflicting too much pain on Mr Malfoy. But you can see him if you want." All of the group made for the curtain but Madam Grice raised her hands up, halting them. "Six visitors only please."

Lily felt a hand on her shoulder. "Come on Lily. We'll wait outside," Dominique said in a quiet and soothing voice. With Ariana and Phoebe, Lily was led towards the door.

But Lily didn't want to go. She didn't want to wait outside. She needed to see with her own eyes that he was ok. Wrestling with the arms that held her, Lily broke free quite easily and made her way to the curtain, pushing it aside to walk in. Immediately, she gasped in shock froze at the foot of the bed, one foot poised to take a step back.

His head was wrapped in a strip of bandage, tufts of blonde hair peering out at the top. The wrist he broke had be bandaged tight and placed in a sling, resting on his chest. Although she couldn't see, Lily knew that under the covers he had broken ribs that were strapped. There were a couple of cuts on his face too; one on his right eyebrow and one on his bottom lip. For a second, the sight made Lily feel faint and she had to hold onto the board at the bottom of the bed for support.

From the side of the bed, Kaleb moved to wrap an arm around Lily's shoulder, pulling her in his strong side. "Don't worry Lilykins. Scor's a fighter. I'm sure he'll bounce back in no time and be flying circles around you."

"It's all my fault," Lily murmured.

"How'd you figure that out Lily?" Eve asked sympathetically in her gentle voice. She reached over and took Lily's hand, squeezing it tightly. "You didn't hit the Bludger at him."

"It's all my fault. The Bludger was meant for me, to stop me from catching the Snitch. But Scorpius took the hit and now he's hurt." The emotions were thick in her voice, strangling the tears that wanted to fall. "It's all my fault."

"That's crazy Lilykins," Kaleb argued quickly. "You're like a little sister to Scorpius. He probably knew it was going to hit you and stopped it to keep you from harm's way. Granted, he shouldn't have stopped it with his body." It felt so wrong to joke around when Scorpius was lying unconscious in front of them all. But Lily appreciated Kaleb's attempt to cheer her up and offered him a weak smile.

"He just needs to sleep it off," Percy said, running a hand through his hair. Lily recognised the movement as something Scorpius did too. Only Percy's hair was a dark brown colour in stark contrast to Scorpius' white blonde hair that was rarely flat. "I'm going to go and tell Professor Delta. Plus I need to send a letter to Aunt Astoria and I need to sort out the team - something needs to be done about our Beater that can't tell the difference between the opposition and their own teammate."

With a final squeeze, Eve released Lily's hand and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, smiling reassuringly before turning to her brother. "Take a shower too Perce. You might wake Scorpius up with your stink." The pair of them promised to be back later and left with a flutter of the curtain.

Needing to do something helpful instead of staring powerlessly at Scorpius, Lily moved to the side of the bed, opposite Albus. There was basin of water and a damp flannel on the side that Lily used to wet his cheeks. His skin was burning up but from Lily's limited knowledge of Healing, the hot temperature was a good thing.

"It's not your fault Lily." It was the first time Albus had spoken to her since it had happened. "I would have done the same thing had it been me and you up in the air. For that, I owe him one." She watched as Albus rested a hand on Scorpius' shoulder attentively and right then, Lily felt her heart tug in two different directions. It was obvious that Scorpius meant so much to Albus but she couldn't deny that he meant just as much to her too.

"We should get cleaned up," Franklin said, uncrossing his arms. He was still wearing his Quidditch robes. "Get some food too because I'm starving."

Albus looked at Scorpius one last time and made to leave with Kaleb and Franklin. "Aren't you coming?"

All Lily could do was shake her head. She was on the brink of ears and was holding them back with every blink. Thankfully Albus understood she needed time alone. He walked over and kissed the top of the Lily's head and disappeared, closing the curtain behind him so it was just Scorpius and Lily.

Picking up the chair in the corner, Lily sat down by Scorpius' side. Her hand brought his from his lap to his side, her fingers folding around his. He was a little warm so Lily dabbed the flannel across his face, tracing the features that were so peaceful when he slept. It was quite nice to see his face not contorted into his knowing smirk. Sighing deeply she rested her forehead against the back of his hand staring at the stone floor, and finally let the tears fall.

It took a while for them to stop.

###

Lily hated herself for crying. It made her feel weak and vulnerable and sick to her stomach. But she needed to break so that she could be fixed. After bottling up all her emotions over the last few weeks, in the build-up to the match, they had finally released themselves and now Lily felt better. Not completely so. She was still filled with guilt for what she had done to Scorpius and what her feelings meant for Albus.

Thankfully her tears were dry by the time people started arriving in the hospital wing. First Hugo visited. At first he seemed nervous, but when he saw that only Lily was there, he eased a little, pulling up a chair to sit next to Lily. He seemed agitated, looking around the room constantly and pulling at the sleeves that hid his cuts.

"Ariana spoke to me, said you weren't doing so good," Hugo said, his gaze switching from Scorpius to Lily.

"I've been better," Lily mumbled, her voice hoarse from barely talking for at least an hour. To distract herself, she was running her thumb across Scorpius' hand, soothing herself just as much as him. "But I'm better than Scorpius."

"I didn't realise he liked to so much," Hugo joked and Lily had to smile. It had been ages since Hugo had cracked a joke. "You know, at first I agreed with Dom about Scorpius but then you got with Oscar - and you know I don't like him too much. I began to entertain the idea that maybe you could be with him, anticipated the reactions of our family. The pair of you seem to fit right now."

"How can you tell?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows at Lily before glancing back at Scorpius. "He's asleep."

Hugo just shrugged. "I's a gift I suppose." He got to his feet and kissed the top of Lily's head. "Don't spend all your time in here blaming yourself. I'd take a Bludger for you too if I loved you like he did. Would Oscar do the same?" With a ruffle of her loose ponytail, Hugo ducked behind the curtain and vanished.

Next to visit was Rose. She seemed surprised to see Lily there, especially with her hand interlaced with Scorpius. For Lily, the surprise was mutual. Her cousin watched through a scowl as Lily dabbed the damp flannel across Scorpius' face and neck - the fever was good, it meant the spells were working. "I can do that," Rose said, leaning over to take the flannel from Lily's hand.

Feeling awkward, Lily excused herself and retreated to the bathroom. Immediately she felt bad for leaving Scorpius but she didn't want to see Rose fawn over an unconscious version of him. Instead she looked at herself in the mirror and saw small black streaks of what was left of her make-up running down her cheeks. The whole idea now felt stupid. Quickly she washed off what was left with some soap and then leant against the basin.

She felt so conflicted. She knew there was no denying it now, she did have feelings for Scorpius. They were much more intense than those she had for Oscar. But Oscar had been so kind to her and she felt wrong just dropping him, especially now that their relationship was under scrutiny from the press. Also Albus wouldn't be too happy, nor would Rose or a lot of the family. However if they loved her, they would have to accept Scorpius, which they had in part because he was Albus' friend and he was somehow related to Teddy.

Looking in the mirror once more, Lily retied her ponytail and left the bathroom, feeling stressed but fresh. When she returned to Scorpius' beside, Rose was still there, sitting on the bed and looking at Scorpius. "Will he be ok?" Rose asked when she noticed Lily come back.

Lily stopped at the foot of the bed, admiring him just as her cousin was. Asleep he was so peaceful; not a trace of the normal smirk he always wore. "A few broken bones, a load of bruises but he'll live."

"Fantastic," Rose cried, slightly too energetic for Lily. Bounding off the bed, she stroked her shoulder-length hair and leaned to kiss Scorpius' forehead, unknowingly resting her hand on his broken wrist all the while. "I must dash. I promised Kate I'd help dye her hair pink. If he wakes up, tell him I visited." She was gone within seconds.

More people dropped in, some just to drop off presents and cards. Eve came back. They sat together, Eve talking about all the silly things Scorpius used to do as a child - apparently he had had a tendency to walk around in his mother's shoes. When Eve left for dinner, she promised Lily to find some pictures, which Lily would hold her to. Soon after Albus arrived, a bowl of roast potatoes in his hand. Dressed in dark jeans and a plain white t-shirt, his hair was extremely messy, meaning that he didn't style it after he showered. He pulled up a chair next to Lily and handed her the bowl. "How's he been?"

Usually roast potatoes were her favourite but now she couldn't look at the crispy spuds without feeling sick in her stomach. She played with one, tearing it apart in pieces but she couldn't bring herself to eat. Instead she just watched Scorpius sleep. "His fever is up which is good. Madam Grice should be along to check on him soon." Giving up on pretending to eat, Lily dropped the bowl into her lap and leaned against her brother's shoulder. "Rose stopped by earlier."

"That doesn't surprise me," Albus grunted.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

"She'd had a crush on him for a while now. He pretends he doesn't notice but I know Scorp simply finds it annoying. She kinda drapes herself all over him, batting her eyelashes and twirling her hair. It's pathetic." Albus leaned back and reached over to steal one of Lily's potatoes but she swatted his hand away. "Anyway Scorp doesn't like her at all so I never have to endure that weirdness."

Absentmindedly, Lily picked up a potato, thinking about what Albus had said. If it was weird for him for Rose and Scorpius to be together, it's not that far a stretch for him with Lily and Scorpius. Maybe he would be accepting. However he wasn't very close Rose where as Lily would always be his little baby sister, no matter how grown up she was.

"Oh yeah. We kicked Perry off the team!"

Lily turned to her brother quickly, her head being pulled from her thoughts. "Who?"

"Perry, the dickhead who doesn't know how to hit a Bludger correctly or protect his teammates," Albus stated, obviously referring to the Beater that hospitalised Scorpius. "Seeing as those are the fundamental aims for a Beater, we've decided to suspend him form the team."

"Until?"

"Until Scorpius wakes up and makes the final decision," Albus said impassively.

This was when Lily noticed Albus' hand. His knuckles were red raw and his hand kept clenching to a fist when he spoke about Perry. She scrutinised his face, looking for a sign, but he was avoiding her gaze, instead focusing on the hem of Scorpius' blanket. "What did you do?" she asked cautiously, knowing something had happened and by the looks of his fist, Albus was definitely involved.

At that point, the curtain swung back and Madam Grice appeared. She wore a grey dress which did nothing for her, and an apron complete with several pockets at the front. Making her way to Scorpius' head, she pulled a thermometer from one of the pockets and placed it in Scorpius' mouth. "I'm so sorry I'm later darlings but someone had given that poor boy Perry in Slytherin a black eye along with a couple for bruises and I had to take a balm to his dormitory seeing as he refused to come here."

Immediately, Lily's gaze snapped to Albus, her eyes wide and accusing. Without words telling her, she knew that her brother was responsible. Call it sister intuition. He was nervously tugging at the hem of the blanket, trying to look everywhere but at her. Honestly she didn't know Albus had it in him to hurt someone.

"His temperature is high but corresponds with what it should be, what with the spells acting on him." When Lily back to Scorpius and Madam Grice, the thermometer was gone and Madam Grice was pouring a glass of water. "The flannel has helped maintain him as the spells worked on his external wounds, but now as the splls work inwardly, he will need to be hydrated," and as Madam Grice spoke, she tilted Scorpius' head back and trickled water into his mouth. Lily watched as reflexes told Scorpius' body to swallow. "This way, he won't become dehydrate."

"When will he wake up?" Lily asked, wondering whether she would be able to talk to Scorpius this evening.

Madam Grice just shrugged in response, placing the jug and empty glass on the table on the other side of Scorpius. "It's hard to say. He needed a lot of the Sleeping Draught to overcome most of the pain. His body will wake when it's ready but I can imagine it'll be soon." With the promise of checking up on him later, Madam Grice retired to her office.

Lily waited until the footsteps had made their way to the office before turning to Albus with a scowl on her face. "You punched him in the face?" Lily whispered angrily, although she had the tingling sensation of deja vu, reminding her of all those occasions Albus had been in a fight before. He didn't want their parents knowing so he had always asked Lily to nurse his knuckles. "Seriously Albus?"

"Come one Lily. It's not like he didn't deserve it," Albus complained. He wasn't awkwardly pulling on the blanket now, he was staring straight at Lily. "The Bludger was meant for you. Even if Scorpius hadn't been the one who got knocked down by it, I still would have hit him because it would be you lying in that bed."

It was heart-warming that Albus was so protective over her; he was a very good big brother even if his methods were questionable. She hated that her brother had resorted to violence, it wasn't necessary. "It still doesn't make punching him ok," Lily argued, frowning at her brother. Apparently the expression was exactly like her mother's which seemed true as Albus was drained of all colour. "You won't always be there to protect me and I won't always need protecting. Life would be so much easier if you just kept your fists to yourself." Reaching over, Lily picked up the damp flannel and then moved Albus' hand, dabbing away the dried blood until his raw knuckles were clean.

Albus laughed lightly. "I'm sorry sis. I guess I love you too much!" He reached over to kiss Lily's head and took the bowl from Lily's lap. "I've got to go and finish some homework. Are you planning on staying here all night?"

"No," Lily said, shaking her head. "I just want to see if he wakes up this evening. Contrary to your belief, I am slightly responsible for him being here and I need to at least apologise to rid me of this guilt."

"Don't stay too late then," Albus said, getting to his feet. "And Lils?" He was paused by the curtain, a kind smile across his face. "It's not your fault."

###

There was a deep throbbing pain in the temples of his forehead, making it impossible for him to focus his thoughts as he woke up. Every muscle ached to the point where Scorpius didn't want to move. Instead he kept his eyes closed and tried to focus on what in Merlin's name had happened to him. The Quidditch match came back to him in a flood of memories. Lily's kiss as the whistle blew. The game. Lily's smile. The Bludger. Lily's flowing fiery hair. The fall. Lily's worried brown eyes. And then darkness. He remembered coming back into consciousness in the hospital wing, with Madam Grice leaning over him, muttering unimportant spells. But the words were lost on him as pain took over his body, sharp heat spreading across his entire body at an unbearable limit that made him cry out in agony.

Now the pain had dulled to an ache: apart from the constant throbbing in his head. His body was almost numb which was why he didn't notice his hand grasped in someone else's. There was a gentle pressure in his right hand and instantly Scorpius snapped his eyes open in alarm. But Lily Potter was the last person he expected.

She was peacefully sleeping, her head resting on her arms, facing Scorpius. As he scanned all that he could see of her, he noticed he was still wearing her Quidditch robes from the match. Had she stayed at his bedside all this time? Oh she probably thought it was her fault he was here. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail, leaving long strands to fall across her face.

Lifting his injured hand that was bandaged pretty tight, Scorpius managed to reach over to Lily with only a slight bit of discomfort. As gentle as possible, he caressed the hair from her face and left his fingertips on her rosy cheek. In reaction, she sighed deeply in her sleep, tilting her head into his hand. A smile broke out on his lips and he carefully returned his bandaged hand to his sling.

She really was beautiful. Now that no one was around, Scorpius could fully marvel at Lily Potter, memorising every feature and freckle in as much detail as his brain could cope with. Her eyelids were a soft lavender colour and she had thirty four freckles on her nose and cheeks. He even noticed that where she was asleep, her smiling stretched higher on the left hand side. Squeezing her hand softly, Scorpius breathed in a long deep breath and closed his eyes. He let it out through his mouth and soon fatigue made his eyes ache so he gave in and let himself fall asleep, a smile forming on his lips.

* * *

_Author's Note: I can't believe I have written twenty chapters for this story. It's unbelievable! Also it's insane to think that we've only just touched on what I actually want this characters to experience. I reckon I have another twenty chapters in me. We shall see how we go; I'm writing as fast as I can!_

_Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. Big things are about to happen! They involve Oscar! I'm such a tease!_

_And thank you all for reading!_


	22. Punching, Kicking And Kissing?

"Ah Butterbeer!" Lily muttered in response to finding out she had fallen asleep next to Scorpius. The sunlight from the window had reached Lily's face, blinding her awake. Her hair had fallen from her ponytail and she was still holding Scorpius' hand tightly in her own. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but she guessed she was more tired than she realised.

Thankfully no one had seen her which would have been thoroughly embarrassing, although Madam Grice had probably checked on Scorpius a few times but Lily didn't care about that. Checking his temperature, Lily pressed her fingers against Scorpius' forehead and smiled in relief. He was no longer hot which meant the spells had run their course and hopefully been successful.

With the knowledge that Scorpius was well on his way to recovery, Lily kissed his cheek lightly and finally released his hand, leaving the hospital wing in need of a shower and a change of clothes; she had been in her sweaty Quidditch robes for too long. All her friends were still asleep as Lily snuck into her dormitory, choosing the first outfit her hands found and making her way to the bathroom. In the mirror, she didn't look so hot; small black smudges around her eyes, horrible bed hair, even dried drool in the corner of her mouth. Quickly she ran a brush through her hair and jumped into the steaming hot shower, not leaving until her entire body smelt of strawberries.

She dried off quickly, the air outside freezing cold in comparison and dressed herself in a black maxi dress and a blue cardigan. Casting a spell, she felt her hair begin to dry, falling into waves that Lily couldn't be bothered to style. Adding a touch of concealer and a hint of mascara, she brushed her teeth and left the bathroom, dumping her Quidditch robes on her bed. Although she could wake her friends up, she decided to venture down for an early breakfast. Her stomach was growling - she hadn't eaten since the roast potatoes Albus had brought her last night.

The corridors were quiet. It was still early in the morning with a few birds chirping outside the castle. Not in any rush, Lily slowly strolled through the stone corridors. Sunlight streaming in through the windows casted a beautiful light, making Lily appreciate Hogwarts as her home as well as the wonderful morning. The fresh morning air cleared her mind and helped untangle her thoughts. There were some big decisions and she needed to make them as soon as possible so she didn't string anyone along.

A loud giggle brought her out of her train of thought, coming from behind the tapestry. At first Lily paid it no mind, not thinking it was any of her business. She was about to continue down the hall when another laugh was added to the mix, a deeper one that Lily had heard several times. But it couldn't be him. No doubt he was in his dormitory asleep instead of hiding behind a tapestry doing Merlin knows what.

Whatever she thought, Lily had not prepared herself for what she saw when she pulled back the tapestry.

Her Oscar was locking lips with Scarlet Ash, a Slytherin girl in her year that had recently adopted a dirty orange hair colour. His hands were fixed on her bottom, clenching Scarlet's cheeks in quite a lustful manner while hers were tangled in his brown hair. Completely shocked by the sight, Lily stumbled backwards, falling to the floor with a thud that got their attention.

"Lily? It's not what it looks like," Oscar said quickly.

Raising her eyebrows, Lily scoffed. "Really? Because it looked pretty clear-cut from where I was standing!"

"I can explain everything!" Oscar said, reaching down to help her off the ground.

Instantly Lily slapped his hands away, not wanting him to touch any part of her. Even the thought of him touching her made her stomach clench, giving her the sensation that her stomach acid would make an appearance. "Get away from me! GET AWAY FROM ME!" She scrambled to her feet and threw her hair from her face. "I can't believe you Oscar! How could you do this to me?"

"Lily! Please let me explain!" He cried, reaching forward with a step.

"NO!" Lily screamed, backing away. She was on the brink of tears already and she couldn't bare to let them fall in front of him, she refused to show any more weakness than she already had. "I don't want to hear your excuses! You're a liar and a cheater! If I ever see you again, it'll be too soon!" She kept moving, not taking her eyes of him as she made her way down the corridor.

"Do you mean it's over?!" Oscar called down the corridor.

"Yes!" Lily shouted back, spinning around and breaking into a run. Not once did she stop until she found the small corner outside the Great Hall, hidden from the view of others, where she had thrown up after the Ball. There she slid to the floor, hands covering her face and she let out her tears. All that time she had spent, worrying about Oscar's feelings and feeling guilty for even thinking about Scorpius, and he was off behind her back, getting his kicks from Scarlet Ash, the school whore. She felt humiliated and hurt beyond belief. And to make matters worse, it would probably be leaked to the media by the same person who had told them about Lily and Oscar in the first place.

She ran her fingertips through her hair, pulling out all the stress figuratively of course. Wiping her wet cheeks, she picked herself up and straightened out her dress. Then letting her hair fall over her face, she revealed herself from her hiding place and ducked into the Great Hall, hoping to quickly grab her food and then go. There were a few early risers though including Hugo. Lily made a quick b-line and seated herself opposite her freckled cousin at the Ravenclaw table. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was a little paler but he did seem happier than usual, which instantly cheered Lily up - something she needed right now.

"You'll never guess what I just saw!" she said, dishing up some pineapple. "Scarlet Ash sucking face with her latest victim!"

"Scorpius?" Hugo asked cautiously.

"Oscar!"

Hugo swallowed his mouthful hard. "Are you serious?! What the Hippogriff happened?"

"I wish I wasn't but yeah, I just caught the pair of them behind a tapestry in the corner, their lips fixed together in the most vulgar of manners," Lily said, slumping in her seat. Her shoulders fell and she pushed her bowl away from her to rest her head on her arms. "I can't believe he was such an asshole and I didn't see it. I guess you were right."

Reaching over, Hugo scooped up one of Lily's hands, squeezing it tightly. "I never wanted to be right. I wanted to believe Oscar was a good person. I'm sorry he hurt you like this."

"I just feel so stupid!"

"You're not stupid," Hugo quickly assured her. "I won't let you think that way about yourself. You are not to blame for this. It's Scarlet who's responsible - she's the one who flirted her way to Oscar and tempted him. You've done nothing wrong."

"The thing is," Lily said, looking up and pushing her hair from her face. "I was going to dump Oscar. I decided that I want to be happy and the only way that's truly possible is if I follow my heart. It didn't feel right pulling Oscar along when I wasn't fully committed, I didn't want to hurt his feelings. But instead mine got hurt and now I just have to move on. Onwards and upwards."

"Does this mean you are going for Scorpius?" Lily just nodded and Hugo jumped in excitement in his seat. "I knew this was coming. I could just tell yesterday that you had a change of heart. Have you spoken to him?"

"Not yet," Lily said, smiling at the fact Hugo was excited about something and not haunted by his secrets. "I sort of fell asleep waiting for him last night, I guess Quidditch finally took its toll on me. As far as I know, he hasn't woken up yet. I'm going to see him after breakfast." She watched as a small expression of confusion itch its way onto Hugo's expression. "I know what you're thinking Hugh and don't worry, I'm not going straight to Scorpius. I need to get over Oscar first and that could take some time."

"I'm sure Scorpius would wait for you."

At this point, the Great Hall was filling up with students. There was a Hogsmeade trip today and usually everyone got up earlier to make the most out of the visit. The chatter surrounding Lily and Hugo grew until they didn't have to talk in hushed tones to not be heard. From across the room, Lily could see the Slytherin table vacant of her brother and Kaleb which meant they were probably visiting Scorpius or they were in bed.

"I'll be sure to ask him later," Lily said with a smile.

The tone of the conversation rapidly turned sombre and Lily felt the smile slide off her face without realising it. "Can I talk to you about something?" Hugo asked as he leaned across the table to get closer to Lily. Her heart skipped a beat, her mind reeling that she may now find out what is wrong with her cousin. Lily nodded quickly. "It's sort of complicated and you have to promise not to tell Rose."

"Hugo, I'm always going to be there for you."

Lily watched her cousin gulped hard, staring upwards at the enchanted ceiling with a fixed concentration. He was biting his bottom lip hard, turning the surrounding area white as the pressure drained it of blood. She wished she could just read his mind for him because what he wanted to say was obviously hard to speak out loud. Merlin, it had taken him this long to build up the courage to talk about whatever it was in the first place. In the end, Hugo opened his mouth and prepared to spill.

"Lily, can I please talk to you?" The familiar voice startled Lily, making her swivel in her seat before instantly regretting that she responded at all. It was Oscar with a very guilty look on his face - the face Lily once found adorable but now felt repulsed by. "Just let me explain everything and then you can decide whether to ever talk to me or not."

In a calm voice, Lily replied, "I think that decision was made the second I saw you and Scarlet." Turning around, she looked at Hugo who just shrugged his shoulders but offered her a smile that told her he was there for her. "But I do have some questions, like when did your whole little scheme begin?" Summoning her Gryffindor bravery, she stood up from the bench with arms folded to stare Oscar down, even if she was a little bit small.

He gulped hard and seemed to be sweating slightly. "I never wanted to hurt you Lily. You have to understand that; I really did like you. At the Valentine's Ball, after you went missing, I was walking around looking for you and I found Scar in the corner." Lily felt her stomach clench as Oscar said 'Scar'. They had nicknames. "She was upset because I had brought you and she said she'd liked me for ages. All of a sudden, we were kissing. I knew it was wrong-"

"But you did it anyway!" Lily interrupted, struggling to remain calm. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene in the middle of the Great Hall - not everyone needed to know her personal life just because she was a Potter. "Did you not think of me at all? I really liked you Oscar and then I find out you've been cheating on me for weeks!"

"I felt terrible after it happened. That night I barely slept. And then I decided the honourable thing to do was end our relationship but then that article about us in Witch Weekly came out and I felt pressured. I didn't want to be hated by the entire Wizarding World just because I dumped Lily Potter. But I couldn't end it with Scar either - there was more to her then I realised." He sighed deeply and wiped his forehead with the back of his shirt. "I didn't know what to do."

The anger inside Lily just grew and grew, building up until she felt like a volcano just before eruption. Trying to calm herself, she closed her eyes tightly and focused on the happy memory of hugging her parents on Platform 9 & 3/4 until the anger had shrunk down to a tiny speck in the back of her mind. Then she opened her eyes to stare at her first ex-boyfriend. "So instead of growing a pair of balls, you decided to string me along, lying to me with every touch and kiss. How is that a better solution?"

"It's not very Gryffindor of you Oscar!" Hugo interjected, glaring from across the table.

"Put a quill in it Weasley! I'm talking to Lily," Oscar said, equally staring down Hugo .

"No you're not!" Lily said defiantly, a bit louder than she wanted. "I've heard enough from you to last a lifetime. You've lied, you've cheated, and when people find out about this, which they will knowing how news spreads in this school, you will have made me look like a fool. I can't believe I trusted you. It makes me feel sick just thinking about our relationship and how it was all about lies."

From behind Oscar, Lily saw two Slytherin boys approach and gulped hard, thinking 'oh no'. Albus and Kaleb was definitely walking towards Lily, wanting to talk to her about something, probably Scorpius. "Hey Lils, is everything ok?" Albus asked, clearly feeling the tension between Lily and Oscar.

But both of them remained silent.

"Weasley, you going to tell us what's going on?" Kaleb asked, clearing a space on the table so he could perch on it.

All of a sudden, Hugo's expression changed to one Lily couldn't figure out and he began to tug on his sleeves nervously. With his stare now in his lap, he quickly spoke much to Lily's dismay. "Oscar cheated on Lily with Scarlet Ash from your House and Lily just caught them kissing behind a tapestry. It's been going on for weeks."

No one could have stopped Albus as he punched Oscar square in the jaw, and smirked as he watched Oscar crumpled to the stone floor writhing in pain. From the other side of the Hall, there was the echo of a scream. Venom on his tongue, Albus spat out his words down at the fallen Gryffindor. "How dare you! Lily is a kind, warm-hearted person who did nothing to deserve this. I told you not to hurt her and yet you went off with that slut behind her back. And now your life will be a living hell."

Lily was really scared. She had never heard Albus speak with such disgust plainly dripping from his words. Stepping closer to her brother, she attentively put her hand on his arm. "Just leave him Al. He's not even worth it." Her grip tightened on him and she glared at Kaleb to help her.

"Leave him alone," a shrill voice cried and Lily looked up to see Scarlet Ash hurrying in their direction, her worried stare fixed on Oscar as he writhed on the floor.

Leaning down to get closer to Oscar, Albus spat on him. "I'll make you wish you'd never even set eyes on my sister." And then his leg pulled back before burying itself in Oscar's ribs. The shock of the kick paralysed Lily, unable to move as she stared open-mouthed at her ex-boyfriend pitifully. However Albus didn't stop at one kick, instead he repeatedly launched his foot into Oscar's side, each with more force than the last.

"Kaleb! Get him out of here!" Lily cried, struggling to pull her brother away as he continued to kick Oscar. He would probably already be in trouble for punching Perry, he didn't need to give the teachers anymore ammo. Quickly Kaleb's strong arms were around her brother, pulling him back. "Get him to cool off before he does anything else he'll regret!" Lily cried and with a final shove, managed to get enough distance between Albus and Oscar so she could step between them.

It took some time but Kaleb managed to get control over Albus and half-carried, half-dragged him out of the Great Hall. Meanwhile Albus was shouting every curse that sprung to mind, which were useless with a wand, along with a number of obscenities that were often accompanied with rude gestures too. Lily always knew Albus secretly watched Muggle TV.

When she turned back to Oscar, Scarlet was on her knees beside him, cradling his head in her lap as she stroked his brown hair from his face - it had become matted with sweat. The sight disgusted Lily because it wasn't long ago that Lily cared for Oscar in the same way. But then what the pair of them did behind her back came to mind and Lily had the urge to kick him too. Instead she looked down on the both of them with pity on her face. They were worthless and didn't deserve anymore attention. So she flicked her hair over her shoulder and turned to Hugo.

"I'm going to go and see Albus, check he's alright, and then visit Scorpius," Lily said, finishing her pineapple with a few last bites. "But I'll see you later?" She watched as Hugo nodded with a mouthful of cereal already in his mouth. He swallowed quickly and went to say something but Lily was already fluttering up the aisle in her dress, weaving in and out of the students towards the doors.

###

Ariana was worried about her best friend. She hadn't seen Lily at all but she knew she was with Scorpius, looking after him and blaming herself in the process. At one point, Ariana made to go and visit her and check she was ok, but Albus said he would check on her and take some food. She watched him walk down the corridor and sighed in longing, before catching up with Dominique and Phoebe and heading to dinner. But then Lily didn't come to bed that night either. Ariana had waited up until the moon was high in the sky but Lily didn't return and soon Ariana fell asleep, only to find Lily not in her bed in the morning.

However her Quidditch robes were so Ariana knew Lily was up and about, probably with Scorpius in the hospital wing.

This was where Ariana was going to head, as soon as she had grabbed some breakfast. She walked a little behind Dominique and Phoebe, who were leading the way to the Great Hall whilst talking about their Defence homework that was due in once the weekend was over. Meanwhile Ariana was stuck on her worried thoughts of Lily, making her trail behind her friends, enough to spot Kaleb wrestle Albus across the Entrance Hall.

With a quick glance to her friends, Ariana hurried in the opposite direction, heading for the loud commotion Albus was causing as he fought his way out of Kaleb's grip. She sprinted down the steps, constantly checking over the banister to see where the two Slytherin boys were. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Ariana stopped in her tracks and watched Albus finally fight out of Kaleb's grip.

"Why did you pull me out of there Murphy? Did you not hear what that asshole did to Lily? He deserved so much more than just a punch and some kicks!" Albus kicked the closed door with his foot to vent out his aggression. Ariana hated to see him like this, whatever had happened must have really got to him.

"And you think beating him black and blue will help anything? Delta already suspects you for what happened to Perry! You really don't want anymore trouble Al else you'll be in detention until the end of the year!" Kaleb continued to argue his case but Albus didn't want to listen. Instead he yanked the giant doors that led out of the castle open and ran out of them, even though Kaleb shouted for him to come back.

Hurrying across the stone floor, Ariana quickly joined Kaleb, who was staring out into the courtyard watching Albus kick stones around aggressively. She gently touched his arm and offered him a smile. "Let me try and talk to him," she said and then quickly hurried outside into the sunlight. Although Albus had pushed her away, Ariana couldn't stop herself wanting to help him. She still cared for him a lot.

###

After looking up and down the corridors that surrounded the Great Hall in search of Albus and Kaleb, Lily was about to give up. Running her fingers through her wavy hair, she leaned against the stone balcony, absentmindedly staring down below. It was then that Lily saw a flicker of Kaleb in the Entrance Hall and soon enough, she was hurrying down the stairs, hitching up her dress so she didn't trip and fall. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped short when she saw only Kaleb but continued to walk towards him.

"Hey Lilykins," Kaleb murmured, slinging an arm around Lily's shoulder casually as she stopped beside him. She saw he was looking out of the open castle door and when she followed his gaze, she found Albus leaning against a stone wall, staring out onto the Grounds. With Ariana? When Lily looked at Kaleb with raised eyebrows, he smiled down at her. "They'd make a cute couple wouldn't they?"

"If he realised how good she could be for him," Lily replied, thinking back to when Ariana told her what Albus had said in the corridor. "He was definitely dropped on his head as a baby."

"It's the only explanation," Kaleb laughed, his bulky body jostling Lily as they both laughed and looked out into the courtyard.

"Well I'm going to see Scorpius," Lily announced, feeling that Albus was in capable hands. "Just to apologise and thank him."

Kaleb turned to look at her. "Albus may not see it yet but I do. He's crazy about you Lilykins and I know you must feel the same way." He pulled her closer into his side. This was always the way with Kaleb, he was the best for cuddles. "Whatever happens, I'll stand by you two and hopefully when Albus sees how happy the pair of you are together, he'll support you too."

"Thanks Kaleb," Lily said, her heart feeling warm. She reached up on her tiptoes, for Kaleb was a lot taller than Lily and it was quite a stretch, and planted a small kiss on his broad cheek. "Keep an eye on him for me." With her head, she indicated to Albus in the courtyard.

"Don't worry, we're off to Hogsmeade to get Scorpius some supplies from Honeydukes. I think some time away from the castle will be good for him." He locked her in another tight squeeze and then released her, wishing her goodbye as she climbed the stairs and headed to the hospital wing.

Her heart rate instantly accelerated with the prospect of seeing Scorpius again. A million thoughts of him raced through her mind as she made her way through the corridors of Hogwarts. She took as many shortcuts as possible, however she avoided tapestries just in case. And when she reached the corridor that led to the hospital wing, she stopped suddenly, hit by a stomach full of nerves. This was it, she was letting her heart rule her head. She was accepting that fact that she wanted to be with Scorpius, that he was more than a little schoolgirl crush. She smoothed her dress down, ran fingers through her hair and rubbed her lips together, before proceeding down the corridor.

"How is he?" Lily asked as soon as she pushed the door open and caught Madam Grice heading towards her office.

Rummaging in her apron pockets, the old woman offered Lily a kind smile before looking at the curtains that hid Scorpius from immediate view. "He is doing well Miss Potter. His temperature has returned to normal although he is still healing. He is still considerably sore but he is taking some potions for the pain."

"Can I see him?" Lily asked optimistically.

"Of course," Madam Grice replied with a bow of her head. "Although I'm not sure if he's awake. The potions tend to make patients very drowsy." And with another warm smile, Lily watched her make her way to her office.

Taking a lungful of air, Lily tried to calm herself and then pushed back the curtains to let herself into Scorpius' space. Immediately her attention snapped to the boy in the bed, the bandages still wrapped around his forehead with his left hand still resting on his chest in a sling. He looked exactly like she had left him this morning, except for one important difference. His beautiful grey eyes were closed and Lily would have assumed he was sleeping, if it wasn't for the fact that his lips wore the common smirk they usually did.

"I know you're awake Mr Malfoy," Lily said with a smile as she perched herself on the edge of the bed. She was careful to avoid jostling the bed too much or putting any weight on Scorpius' sore limbs.

One breath-taking grey eye peered out and then Scorpius' face morphed into a genuine smile as he opened both his eyes and made to sit up. Instantly Lily moved to help him, being gentle with every touch as she supported his weight and plumped his pillows at the same time. When he was settled, she returned to her space at the end of the bed. "How did you know I was awake?" Scorpius asked with a twinkle burning in his eyes. He was happy to see her.

"You don't smirk in your sleep," Lily said, before she realised what she had admitted and moved her hands to her lips. Unfortunately they didn't stop the words from falling out and soon a blush flourished across her cheeks.

"And how would you know that Miss Potter?" he questioned with the very smirk falling on his lips again.

"Scorpius, you scared me to death yesterday," Lily confessed allowing the worry she had contained to burn in her eyes. "I've never been so terrified in all my life. What possessed you to fly in front of that Bludger?"

"Rather me than you," Scorpius murmured as he let his gaze fall to his lap.

Lily did the same, feeling her heart swell up with love. Although everyone had said as much to her, she hadn't believed them. But when Scorpius said it, she realised that he actually did sacrifice himself for her. The thought made her want to grab him and hug him so tightly, but that would probably put him in more pain so Lily just smiled at him.

"You've been crying," Scorpius said quickly. It wasn't a question but a statement. "What's happened Lils?"

"How did you know I'd been crying?" Lily asked, but when Scorpius just glared harder at her, she knew she had to answer his question - which meant talking about Oscar. "I'm fine now, honest. Earlier though, I caught Oscar kissing Scarlet Ash behind that second floor tapestry of Wendela the Wicked. It turns out he's been cheating on me since the Valentine's Ball."

Immediately Lily regretted telling him because he'd probably want to do exactly what Albus did and more. Sure enough, Scorpius' expression darkened with rage as he fought with his blankets to get out of bed, which was hard to do seeing as he only had use of one hand. "No, no, no, no!" Lily edged closer and grabbed hold of Scorpius' hand with both of her own, stopping him from climbing out of bed. He was breathing heavily and wincing repeatedly as Lily forced him back against his pillows. "Just stay still before you hurt yourself even more. You've already broken some of your ribs."

"You have no idea the things I want to do to that boy!" Scorpius groaned through gritted teeth. "He'd deserve it all too."

"I appreciate the protectiveness but I think Albus has already completed that task for you," Lily said, rubbing her thumbs in circles on the back of his hand. She watched as his eyes widened and moved to look directly at hers, his mouth a little open in shock. "And thank you for saving me!" she added, before moving to pull her hands away.

However Scorpius only gripped them harder in response. "I'd do it all again for you," he whispered. The intimacy of his quiet voice sent shivers down her spine and made her heart skip slightly.

"Please don't make a habit of it though," she warned jokingly.

And then without thinking, without worrying, without breathing, Lily leaned forward and pressed her lips up against his. One of her hands moved from his hand, up his chest, to cup his cheek. The moment was amazing; made her heart pound violently against her ribcage in excitement, made her head swoon with thoughts of Scorpius. His mouth moved against hers and she could taste the minty toothpaste on his breath. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, wishing for the kiss to last forever. But it wasn't long until Scorpius was pulling away, panting breathlessly.

Lily leaned back instantly, feeling stupid for forcing herself on someone who was injured. In truth, she hadn't realised she had wanted him so much until she allowed herself to even consider the possibility. The shock must have registered on her face because Scorpius squeezed her hand to make her look at him, making her quickly lost in his bright grey eyes that in the light looked almost blue.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered, his voice like a caress across the cheek.

A blush rose her almost instantly. "I didn't realise how much I missed you too. Even holding your hand feels..." Lily trailed off, not being able to find the words.

"Right," Scorpius finished, and it was true. His hand seemed to effortlessly cup hers, their fingers perfectly wrapped around one another. "You sure know how to drive a guy crazy," Scorpius said, his smirk playing on his lips again.

"I'm sorry it took me so long."

"I'm sorry you had to get hurt by that asshole before you realised."

"Look Scorpius," Lily started, her gaze dropping to her lap. She didn't want to see the disappointment in his eyes. "I was wondering if we could press pause on whatever this is quickly. I feel like I need some time to just let all this Oscar stuff die down and just get back to being me before I move forward. The next few days will be stressful enough, it doesn't feel right dragging you into this when you're still recovering. Will you wait for me?" She bit down on her lip and tried to see Scorpius' reaction from behind her hair.

His hand unwrapped itself from hers, like an arrow digging into her heart. But as Lily closed her eyes to fight back the tears of rejection, the same hand reached up and brushed the hair from her face before cupping her cheek and lifting it to look at Scorpius. "I would rather take another Bludger then lose you again," Scorpius said with a small smile. "Although I do have one condition."

"Name it," Lily said.

"Let me take you out on a date. And not a silly little trip to the local pub, under the watchful eyes of everyone in our school. A proper date. One that is special and private and what you deserve." His thumb traced her cheekbone, leaving a tingling sensation where his skin had been. His touch was so gentle, Lily couldn't help but lean into his hand. Not trusting her voice, Lily nodded with a bold smile.

"And one more thing," Scorpius quickly added. "Seeing as I did fly in front of a Bludger to save you, do you think I could steal another kiss?" The smirk was back, paired with a devilish twinkle in his eyes.

"You really are going to milk this for all you can get, aren't you?" Lily mused, raising her eyebrows. It seemed that the fall didn't affect that cunning nature that Slytherin admired. Good to know.

With a roll of her eyes, she leaned forward, very aware of the closing distance between them both. His lips were immediately on hers, moving them forcibly. There was a fierceness to this kiss - clearly Scorpius was making the most of it. His hand moved to the top of her neck, pressing slightly to tilt her head towards him while her hands cupped his cheeks, feeling the short stubble that tickled her fingers.

It wasn't until they both heard the footsteps of Madam Grice moving towards them that their lips finally parted. With a blushing smile, Lily ran her fingers down his cheeks and then moved off the bed to a nearby chair. Quickly she inched it closer to the bed and when she was near enough, Scorpius instantly took a hold on her hand, lacing his fingers around her before giving them a squeeze.

Seconds later, the curtains parted and Madam Grice appeared. "Ah Mr Malfoy, how are we feeling?" Her hands were buried in the pockets of her apron before pulling out a thermometer and walking over to place it in Scorpius' mouth.

"Much better," he managed to say past the thermometer. When Madam Grice wasn't looking, he gave Lily a quick wink and she had to bite down on her lip to stop herself before she giggled.

"That's good to hear," the old lady replied. From another pocket, she pulled out her smooth black wand and murmured a few words under her breath. Then a blue puff of smoke was emitted from the tip of it. "Ah I see your broken bones are mending themselves nicely, although I will keep you on the potions for another day and I'm afraid I won't be able to let you go until at least tomorrow."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to miss the lessons," Lily said with a small laugh.

Madam Grice joined in with a chuckle of her own. "Indeed," she remarked and then reached to take the thermometer out and read it. "Your temperature is stable which is good. And you don't have a headache or any blurred vision?"

"Nope," Scorpius said with a pop of the 'p'.

"Ok, well I will be in my office if you need anything. You're not due for another potion for a few more hours but if you start to feel any worse, just call." Madam Grice fumbled with putting her wand and thermometer away before parting the curtain and disappearing. Both Scorpius and Lily called out a 'thank you' but the office door shut firmly.

"Do you want me to get you anything? Some food, a change of clothes, maybe a book?" Lily asked, wanting to help in anyway.

"You are just the sweetest," Scorpius replied, although his voice sounded patronising. "Actually could you get me a change of clothes and the book from under my pillow?"

"Of course," Lily said, standing up from her chair. She gave Scorpius' hand a loving squeeze before letting go and smoothing her dress down. "Be back soon."

"One more kiss?"

"Goodbye Scorpius," Lily replied, laughing whilst she left.

* * *

_Author's Note: And now you all have a legitimate reason for hating Oscar, other than relying on Hugo's hunches, which tend to be correct ;) Also the hero of the hour gets the girl (or will do eventually). I think the time is right to unite our love birds. _

_The next chapter will involve a confession, some ball-breaking and an announcement. I haven't written it yet but I know what I'm writing and will get on it as soon as!_

_I hope you love this chapter and want to tell me all about your love in a review. The ones I got for the last one made me smile, laugh and even have a little tear so thank you :D_


	23. Revealing Secrets

"Hugo? Is everything ok?" Lily was taken back when she found her cousin sitting on a set of stairs just off the Entrance Hall. She had been heading to the dungeons to collect a few of Scorpius' things, grinning the entire way, when she spotted her favourite freckled face compacting himself into a small corner with a book in his lap. Hitching up her dress, she leaned down and sat next to Hugo, nudging him with his elbow. "Hugo?"

"Oh hi Lily," Hugo said, marking the page with his bookmark before turning to Lily. "How is Scorpius?"

Lily frowned hard. The dark circles under his eyes were pulling his face down. "He's good all things considering." Reflexively, Lily reached up to push the red hair from his face. Often it would fall in front of his face when he was reading. "But I'm more worried about you right now. Is everything ok Hugo?"

"Lily, I've got something to tell you and I want you to promise not to tell Rose because as much as I love my sister, she doesn't seem to understand what a secret means." In response, Lily reached to take Hugo's hand and nodded at his big brown eyes. "Oh this is so hard to say out loud," Hugo sighed. The hand Lily gripped grew damp with sweat and even though Lily was staring at his face, out of the corner of her eye, she could see his knee bouncing nervously.

"Whatever it is Hugh, you can tell me anything. I'm here for you."

He gulped hard and blew out a deep breath before closing his eyes tightly. "I'm gay Lily." The words were quick and left Lily reeling as she processed the information. Her cousin, _her _Hugo, was gay. Lily looked up from her lap and realised Hugo was waiting for her to say something.

But she was in shock. Was this the reason for all of those mysterious bruises? Was someone hurting Hugo because he liked boys? Merlin's beard, Hugo liked boys. Everything was racing around in her head, confusing her. She closed her eyes and let her hair fall over her face. As she was processing everything, making sure not to jump to conclusions, Lily realised she still hadn't said anything. When she looked up from her lap, Hugo was wearing a nervous expression, biting his lip.

"Please say something Lils," he murmured quietly.

"Oh Hugo!" Lily cried, pulling him in for a tight hug. She buried her face in his shoulder, relieved that he was opening up to her. Finally there could be an end to all this heartache. "I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner."

"I didn't think anyone would accept me for who I am," Hugo said, although his voice was muffled by Lily's hair.

Quickly Lily pulled back, keeping her arms around him, so she could frown at her cousin. "No matter who you are or who you love, I will always be there to support you. I don't think I'd be a very good cousin if I didn't Hugo." He smiled bashfully and Lily let out a little laugh, waiting for him to look up from his lap at her. Only then did her face grow serious.

"Who's hurting you Hugo? Has it got something to do with you being gay?"

She watched as his shoulders slumped and his face dropped. Cautiously he shook his head. "No one knows. No one but you Lily."

"Then who is hurting you?" Lily pleaded, her eyes filling with tears.

"The majority of people believe that the only cruel ones in this school are those of Slytherin House but it's not true. It's such a horrible stereotype that I know neither of us believe in - Albus is not cruel, nor is Scorpius." Lily thought back to how cruel Oscar must be to have gone behind her back, and yet he was a Gryffindor. What Hugo said was true, being a snake doesn't make you evil. "People seem to forget that Slytherin doesn't look for cruelty but for ambition and resourcefulness, just as Ravenclaw strives for intelligence and wisdom."

"I don't understand what all this has to do with you," Lily interrupted. "I know the traits of each House, I've heard the Sorting Hat sing its song."

Her cousin's head dropped and his chest heaved with a heavy sigh. "Because everyone believes if you don't show these traits, you don't belong in that House. It seems that my dyslexia doesn't bode well with Ravenclaw. They think I'm unworthy of being an eagle, regardless of the choice of the Sorting Hat."

"Ravenclaw are the ones hurting you!" Lily gasped, completely shocked. An imaginary stone dropped in Lily's stomach. How could someone's own House bully one of their own just because they don't live up to their expectations?

Pitifully, Hugo nodded his head. "Some of the older students think because I have learning difficulties, I'm not smart enough, and by association, not worthy of Ravenclaw."

"You're the smartest person I know Hugh!" Lily cried, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "If they don't understand that there are different types of smart, that is their loss."

"Thanks Lils but your words are not enough. I hate it there. Everything is about gaining knowledge and nothing about having fun. If I don't do well in a test, some of the older students call me stupid and that's how I get the bruises. I couldn't tell you because I was ashamed and also scared. I don't want any trouble, I just want to get through the days."

"They don't cut you too, do they?" Lily asked, although she was afraid to hear the answer. She wanted to run and tell Professor Creevey everything, but that wouldn't be what Hugo would want. But the images of blood running down Hugo's wrists were something Lily couldn't ignore. "Because if they do, I will-."

"No they don't. I do it to myself," Hugo admitted, looking everywhere but at Lily. "I hate to do it but sometimes I feel so worthless and so stressed that it's the only thing to do. I'm not proud of it and I try not to do it but they make me feel so pathetic that I can't stand it and I have all this anger. It's the only way to release everything."

"Hugo, I can't bare to see you hurt," Lily murmured, brushing his red hair from his face. "It's like being stabbed in the heart every time I saw you with a new bruise or a fresh cut. From now on, you are staying with me. I know you won't want to go to Professor Creevey so if you won't let them give you protection, then we will."

A few tears leaked from Hugo's eyes that he quickly wiped away. "What do you mean?" he sniffled.

"I'm making you an honorary Gryffindor. You will still have to sleep in Ravenclaw Tower and your classes will be with them but you can do everything else with us." A genuine smile broke out on Hugo's face and Lily's heart warmed at the sight. It had been so long but Lily noticed a twinkle of hope in his brown eyes. "You don't have to do this alone."

His thin arms were abruptly wrapped around Lily's frame. A bit taken back, Lily's hands slowly found their way around Hugo's neck, hugging him tightly. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that everything had been explained. Of course, it was horrible what those eagles had done to Hugo and she hated them all for it but she couldn't change the past, she could only make Hugo's future better. Lily hoped that now she had proven herself, Hugo would be less inclined to hide things from her, that way she can help in any way possible.

She also admired Hugo immensely. It must have taken a lot of courage and bravery, things typically associated with Gryffindor, to confide in Lily like Hugo had done. He was worthy of his place as a honorary Gryffindor. For that, she gave him an extra squeeze and then began to feel his arm loosen.

"Do you want to come with me to Scorpius' dormitory? He asked me to get him a change of clothes and a book of his," Lily asked as the pair of them got to their feet, She smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress and smiled brightly at Hugo, surprised to see him smiling too.

He nodded and took Lily's arm, leading her down the stairs towards the dungeons. "I didn't know you knew how to get into the Slytherin common room," Hugo said, raising his eyebrows at Lily.

In response she just laughed. "Scorpius' cousin, Eve is a Slytherin and we're actually good friends. I think it's because when we're together, we can annoy Albus and Scorpius." This reminded Lily of the pictures Eve promised - the ones of Scorpius in ladies shoes. "Anyway, she tells me the password and I give her embarrassing stories to tell when the boys are being pains in the asses."

The red-headed cousins (although they were of different shades of red) made their way down into the dungeons. It grew colder as they ventured underground and Lily wished she had worn more than just a cardigan. She shivered slightly and pulled Hugo closer in an effort to exchange body heat. Once Lily found the correct passage, she spoke the password (_"Parseltongue"_) and they both entered the snake pit. It was Hugo's first time, evident in the fact that he looked around with an open mouth. With the help of Noah Barnsley, who seemed all too happy to help Dominique's cousins, Lily and Hugo found the right room, belonging to Scorpius, Albus, Kaleb and the rest of the Slytherin boys in their year.

The room looked nothing like the Gryffindor dormitories, the colour schemes were obviously different and the furniture was much more elegant and sophisticated. That being said, it was very messy as well, especially Albus' area. They quickly deduced which bed was Scorpius' - the one next to Albus' with the bed still made - and went about finding him some clothes, figuring that because he would be bed ridden, he'd probably want pyjamas. After reaching under his pillow, Lily found the book Scorpius had asked for. It was a royal blue-coloured book with the image of a fierce blue dragon on the cover.

Being the klutz that Lily is though, she lost her grip on the book and accidently dropped it to the floor with a thud. Lily hitched her dress up and bent down to pick up the book, only to find her hand being pawed at by a pure white cat. "Oh my Merlin, you are just the cutest," Lily squealed, scooping the cat up from its hiding place under Scorpius' bed. "Hugo isn't this cat just the cutest thing?"

Hugo jumped out of his skin as he looked down on Lily and the cat in her arms. Purposefully he took a few paces back. "Lils, I have cat allergies!"

"That doesn't mean you can't appreciate the cuteness of this cat," Lily claimed. Leaning over, she read the collar's tag from around the cat's neck. "Belle," Lily read. In the back of her head, Lily knew the name was related with beauty, which couldn't be more true for Belle. "She's so cute."

"I'll take your word for it," Hugo said, before breaking into a small sneezing fit. "I'll meet you outside." He dumped the clothes he had collected onto the bed before darting from the room with a bang of the door. Even from outside, she could hear him sneezing.

Steading herself on Scorpius' bed, Lily got to her feet and gave Belle a quick kiss on the head. In her arms, the cat purred rhythmically before jumping from her hold onto Scorpius' pillow. Lily admired the cat as it circled a few times, padding the pillow with her white paws and then curled up into a ball. "Be a good girl Belle," Lily murmured and then she quickly gathered everything Scorpius asked for and left the dormitory.

With Hugo beside her, they made their way out of the snake pit, into the cold corridors where they hurried to reach a warmer part of the castle. The sun was shining brightly through the tall windows, warming Lily up quickly. The majority of students were outside, running around the Grounds making as much noise as possible, leaving Lily and Hugo to stroll the empty corridors.

"Hugo," Lily asked, turning another corner with her arm looped around Hugo's. Instantly she was hit by a cool breeze coming from the open windows, refreshing her. "Do you think I should send a letter to Dad about Oscar? I know he didn't like hearing about the relationship through Witch Weekly but I don't want him to flip out to the point where he surrounds the castle with Aurors!"

"Uncle Harry is less likely to overreact if it comes from you," Hugo explained. Always the voice of reason. Lily was astounded by the fact Ravenclaw didn't think he was smart enough. "And anyway, you don't have to tell him everything."

The conversation was abruptly cut short by a shattering scream echoing through the empty halls. With a wide-eyed stare at Hugo, the pair of them broke out into a sprint, their footsteps slamming down on the stone floor loudly. They followed the sounds of a struggle around another corner and were suddenly brought up short by the scene in front of them. Oscar was on the floor, doubled over clutching his chest, his breathing strained and irregular. Clearly his ribs were putting him in agony after the fight with Albus and before she knew it, Lily felt a pang of pity for he ex-boyfriend. However her eyes moved on. Scarlet was trapped in a tight headlock by Lily's very own Dominique. Both girls were sporting small cuts on their faces - Dominique's bleeding from her bottom lip while Scarlet's was situated on her right eyebrow - however Scarlet seemed to have taken the most hits, her features already swelling up red like her name. Ironic.

Upon Lily and Hugo's arrival, Dominique flicked her dirty blonde hair out of her face and smiled brightly. "Oh hey guys," she chimed in her angelic voice. Even though Scarlet was wriggling in her grip, she didn't gain much over Dominique, surprising Lily for she had no idea her cousin possessed such strength. Usually Dominique could get a couple of guys to do her dirty work with a flick of her Veela charm.

"What are you doing Dom?" Hugo asked, for Lily was utterly speechless.

"Just taking care of some business," she replied cheerfully, as if she was shopping for a new pair of shoes. "I caught our lovely friend Oscar there, inspecting the inside of Scarlet Ash's mouth with his tongue and I thought: that can't be right because Oscar is dating my cousin Lily - a girl who is carelessly kind and loving to everyone. SO I was just having a chat with the pair of them to get to the bottom of this." The cheerfulness in Dominique's voice was oddly chilling. "I can see by the lack of pure bewilderment on your faces, plus the bruise on Oscar's cheek, that you knew already."

"I found them this morning, just as you did," Lily said after finding her voice suddenly. "It was going on for weeks, since Valentine's Day."

"Oh really?" Dominique said inquisitively. After that she must have tightened her grip on Scarlet's neck because the Slytherin girl cried out in pain.

This seemed to stir Oscar into action. "Let go of her!" he shouted, slowly getting to his feet with his arm protecting his ribs. To climb to his feet completely, he had to use the wall to support himself but soon as he got to his feet, his body took another hit as Dominique released Scarlet and sent her flying into her lover. In a tangle of limbs, the sordid couple slid down the wall back to the floor with both of them moaning in pain.

Meanwhile Dominique was dusting off her hands as if she had just completed a hard day's labour. "I don't think they're even worth our time," she stated with her hands on her hips. "What you did was disgusting and I hope you will take this as a warning and never talk to any of us again. However I hope you are very happy together because when this gets out, you'll only have each other." With another flick of her hair that positioned most of it over one shoulder, Dominique turned to her cousins who were a little taken back and linked their arms, pulling them down the corridor.

"Dom, you know you are very scary sometimes," Lily muttered. "Amazingly fantastic, but definitely scary."

The three of them laughed together, just as they had done before and as they would do again. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's just when I saw them, I kind of lost it." She grunted angrily and stamped her footsteps for a few paces. "Urgh! I can't believe I liked him. I really thought he was a good guy and then he goes and does this. I can't imagine how you must be feeling if I'm feeling this angry!"

"I'm taking it surprisingly well," Lily said with a smile. Although Dominique was the best cousin, she wasn't very understanding when it came to matters about Scorpius. For that reason, she decided to keep everything on the down low, at least until there was something to tell. With a glare at Hugo behind Dominique, she knew Hugo would say nothing too. "I'm just worried about what will happen when the media get a listen on this. The leak still hasn't been caught so you can almost guarantee another Witch Weekly exclusive."

"Where are you going anyway?" Dominique asked.

"To the hospital wing. Lily promised to pick up some of Scorpius' things, seeing as he's going to be in for another night," Hugo replied. It seemed like Dominique hadn't noticed the bag of Scorpius' belongings in Lily's hand. "Are you coming?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with some of my homework. Because you are the best at everything Hugo, including Astronomy!" Dominique batted her eyelashes deliberately and then let out a little cheer when Hugo sighed inwardly. "I love you Hugo!" she cried out, hugging the freckled boy tightly. The hospital wing and the library were nearly on opposite sides of the castle, so when the three of them came to an intersection of corridors, Lily continued straight forward while Dominique and Hugo turned right.

"I'll see you at lunch?" she called out behind her as they disappeared around the bend. They shouted a 'yes' and clearly headed further down the corridor, for Lily heard the last of their conversation before they faded too far.

"I just don't understand the stages of Saturn's alignment or why it's so bloody..."

###

The hospital wing wasn't quiet like it was when she first arrived. Bursts of cheerful laughter emanated from behind the curtain to Scorpius' bed, making Lily smile to herself as she recognised Albus' laugh combined with Scorpius'. She knew this was the best medicine for Scorpius - happiness and laughter. That and a great deal of pain-relieving potions.

However when Lily pulled back the curtains, she was surprised to see Ariana sitting on the chair Lily had slept in, laughing quietly to herself. What was Ariana doing here? They all noticed her at once and even though Lily's focus was on Ariana's presence, she couldn't help but notice the spark that grew in Scorpius' bright grey eyes, speeding up her heart rate slightly.

It was Ariana who rushed to Lily's side instantly and was crushing her in a very tight hug. "Oh Lils!" she cried into Lily's hair. "Albus told me about what Oscar did to you and I just can't believe he would do such a thing." She pulled back and cupped Lily's cheeks between her hands. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Lily replied although the words came out slightly smushed up. "Honestly Ari, I'm alright." She tried to smile at her best friend but found it rather difficult until Ariana let go of Lily's cheeks.

Ariana apologised and sat back down, blushing while Scorpius, Kaleb and Albus, all of whom were sat up on the bed, laughed. "You just wait until I get my hands on him," Ariana threatened into her lap. "I learnt a bit of karate whilst in Japan last summer and I know a move that can devastate a man's future fertility."

"Oh I think I've heard about that move," Kaleb piped up. His hand gripped his chin as he looked to the ceiling thoughtfully. "Isn't it called the sloth's grip or something like that?"

"No, it's the 'knee him in the balls' move. Most effective if Muggle TV is anything to go by." All five of them fell into fits of laughter, although Scorpius did stop after a few seconds, clutching his ribs. But he smiled nevertheless, so Lily wasn't too worried.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Lily settled on the chair next to Ariana, which was barely a squeeze seeing as they were both quite small. "Thanks Ari but I don't think your karate chops will be needed here. Albus and Dom have caused Oscar more than enough pain."

"Dom?" Albus asked. "What did Dom do?"

Lily blew out her cheeks like a hamster and then exhaled slowly. "I'm not actually quite sure," she began, thinking back at how her and Hugo had sprinted down the corridor. "I was with Hugo and we heard a scream from down the hall and when we got there, Oscar was on the floor in pain and Dom had Scarlet Ash in a headlock." At this, every jaw dropped. "I know! We were shocked too."

"How did she know about what happened?" Kaleb asked, being the first to recover.

"She caught them in the act like I did," Lily answered. "She's ultra scary guys! Remind me to never get on her bad side."

"Maybe I should let her win at Wizard's Chess every once in a while!" Ariana said worriedly and then the small group fell about laughing once more. Perhaps it was Albus' influence on her but never had Ariana been so outwardly funny. As her best friend, Lily knew how amazing Ariana was and how often she could make Lily clutch her stomach while she gasped for air. However Ariana was usually shy and only Lily, Dominique and Phoebe got to see this side of her.

Oh if only Albus knew how much he changes Ariana!

The rest of the morning was a lot of fun, although Scorpius had asked them to try and not be so funny because his broken ribs were causing him a bit of discomfort. Instead they all lounged around, pigging out on all the treats that Albus, Kaleb and Ariana had brought back from their visit to Honeydukes. It was while Lily was chewing on her favourite, Sugar Quills, that she remembered the things she had collected for Scorpius - they were beside her on the floor, tucked under the chair.

"Oh Scorpius!" Lily said as if a light bulb suddenly went off in her head. Leaning over, Lily reached for the bag and flipped her hair from her face, handing the bag to Scorpius. "And before I forget, Belle says 'hello'."

"WAIT!" Kaleb shouted, nearly choking on his Acid Pop. Meanwhile Scorpius spat out a mouthful of his Cauldron Cake as he took the bag from Lily and Albus seemed to swallow one of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean down the wrong way and began coughing. Quickly Kaleb removed his Acid Pop with a serious look on his face. "You mean you actually saw Belle and she didn't scratch your eyes out?"

"Of course not!" Lily cried. "She's the cutest cat I've ever seen. What are you guys talking about?"

Clearing his throat, Albus spoke. "That cat is a vicious psychopath - if cats can be vicious psychopaths! Belle hates everyone apart from Scor!"

"Are you sure we're talking about the same white ball of fluff?" Lily exclaimed. Belle had seemed like such a cute little cat, perfectly calm in Lily's arms. She even purred.

"It's true," Scorpius said, nodding his head and looking shocked at Lily. "Belle doesn't even like my mother!"

"Well she likes me!" Lily said, tipping her head up and looking superior mockingly. In response, Albus just scowled at her so Lily stuck her tongue out.

The clock hanging on the wall behind Scorpius' bed caught Lily's attention. According to it, it was lunchtime. Quickly Lily finished her Sugar Quill and then got to her feet, smoothing her dress down and running her hand through her hair to push it from her face. "As much as this has been fun, I have to go and meet Dom and Hugo for lunch."

Ariana jumped to her feet. "I'll come with you."

"Feel better soon!" Lily said to Scorpius, who winked secretly at her. Then she linked arms with Ariana and both of them pushed the curtain back, leaving Scorpius' part of the hospital wing. It wasn't until they were walking down the long corridor that Lily finally turned to her best friend, demanding answers to questions she hadn't even asked.

"So you and Albus?"

Mockingly Ariana faked a laugh before growing serious very quickly. "It's honestly nothing. I saw him this morning after his fight with Oscar and managed to calm him down. Then Kaleb offered to take Albus and I to breakfast at The Three Broomsticks and you know me, I wasn't about to pass up free food!" Ariana exclaimed, making Lily laugh lightly. It was true.

"He'll come to his senses soon enough," Lily said cheerfully. "He's rubbing off on you, making you more confident." Nudging her best friend, Lily laughed as a blush appeared across Ariana's cheeks. Her best friend looked to the floor for a few steps before looking back at Lily with a serious expression.

"How's Hugo?"

This excited Lily. "He's really good now," she said with a bright smile. "Don't tell anyone but it was a couple of older students in Ravenclaw that were hurting Hugo, just because he's dyslexic." Lily nodded her head thoughtfully as Ariana gasped in shock. "He didn't want to involve Professor Creevey so I've made him an honorary member of Gryffindor, just so we can keep him close." Lily pulled her best friend closer. "That way we can make sure nothing else bad happens to him," Lily resolved and Ariana nodded in agreement.

It seemed like things were looking up for Lily Potter.

* * *

_Author's Note: This chapter is for misspotter94 - I FINISHED IT!_

_This chapter was really hard to write but I wanted to reveal all this mystery behind Hugo. Surprisingly a lot of you thought Kaleb was the one hurting Hugo but YOU WERE WRONG! How could you do that to Kaleb?! Anyway, I'm sorry if Hugo's reasons are unrealistic to warrant him cutting himself. I don't have any experience with self-harming so I was completely guessing!_

_And for the next chapter, we see that special first date Scorpius has promised. _**WHAT WILL HE DO?**


	24. The Date She Always Wished For

Lily felt so emotionally drained.

It had been hard for her but she was getting back into her daily routine after such a whirlwind of a weekend. Thinking back on it all honestly made Lily's head hurt. There had been the Quidditch match, Scorpius getting hurt, Albus getting in trouble, Oscar cheating on her, Hugo being gay and Dominique just being a general badass - what an intense weekend. And then to make matters worse, after a week of classes, the latest edition of Witch Weekly was published with a headlining article all about Lily's messy break-up with Oscar. Thankfully she had told her parents about it all before so they knew it was coming. But it didn't stop the whispers that now seemed to follow Lily everywhere she went.

And to just put the icing on top of the cake, she was now being called to see the headmaster, not even remembering what she did wrong.

Nervously, Lily knocked on the door to Professor Creevey's office. From within the room, she heard her headmaster's voice beckon her in and with a twist of the brass doorknob, she peeked her head inside before recognising those in the office and stepping into the room. "Mum? Dad? Teddy?" She cocked her head to the side before sprinting across the room to where her family were, bounding into her father's arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked, hugging her mother next and then Teddy, who was wearing a very smart suit.

When she stepped back, she smiled at Professor Creevey, who was standing behind his desk and looking at something on the other side of the office. Lily followed his gaze, her face screwing up in confusion as her eyes fell on a guilty looking girl sat on the opposite side to her family, wearing the robes of Gryffindor. She recognised her from somewhere but she couldn't put her finger on it.

To make everything more nerve-wrecking, she was pretty sure the portraits around the room were only pretending to be asleep.

"Ah Lily, I'm glad you could join us," Professor Creevey exclaiming, clapping his hands together and summoning another chair for her. "I'm sure you are wondering why I have called you here." Lily nodded and took her seat next to her father. "By now, you've probably seen Witch Weekly's article, reporting about the ending of your relationship to Mr Rutherford, and it had been found that the source was not only within our school, but in fact among your House."

Lily felt her breathing hitch in realisation. The familiar girl sitting near her was the one who had told Witch Weekly about her relationship with Oscar and its ending as well. Her hands curled up into tight fists and inside her core, she felt a rage and a deep sense of hurt. This was the girl that violated her privacy. It took all of Lily's inner strength to keep her composure and not lunge across the room with her wand, casting a very nasty Bat Bogey Hex in her direction.

"Your House is supposed to be your family during your learning at Hogwarts," Professor Creevey continued. "And I know this is hurtful to hear that someone from your own family would betray you in such a manner. From what I can gather, Kate is very apologetic over this matter and I'm sure she had no malicious intentions towards you."

As her headmaster's words sunk in, something clicked with Lily and she realised why she was so familiar. The leak was Kate Bolden: her own cousin's best friend. Her pink hair echoed in Lily's head and she remembered Rose saying that she had to go and dye someone's hair. It had been Kate's hair. How could Rose be friends with this girl when she was betraying Lily to the press behind her back? It was disgusting.

"I think I can speak for all of us that we were deeply wounded that such a violation of privacy had occurred with Hogwarts," Lily's mother said, using what Lily recognised as her 'interviewing' voice - one that was used to hide emotion. It seemed that Ginny had recognised Rose's best friend too. "However I know there is tension already within Gryffindor seeing as Lily and Mr Rutherford broke up in less than amicable circumstances and it seems pointless to dwell on this further and cause more tension, so I think we are going to accept Miss Bolden's apology and move on from this."

"Besides," Teddy interjected, fixing the button on his suit jacket and sitting up straighter. He was in lawyer-mode. "We have filed a law-suit against Witch Weekly and will be getting a privacy order placed on Lily as well as Albus to avoid future situations like this occurring: James cannot be protected under such an order because he is officially an adult."

Professor Creevey shifted in his seat, smiling at Lily's family, who knew the headmaster well from their days at Hogwarts, and turned his attention to Kate. "Rest assured, Miss Bolden will be punished for such a betrayal. I think a month of detentions will help to consolidate everything for you Kate. Also I would like you to write formal letters of apology to Lily and Oscar, expressing how sorry you feel about what you have done."

"Yes sir," Kate replied timidly, staring at her lap guiltily. And then with a nod from Professor Creevey, she got up silently and left the headmaster's office.

Once the door shut, Professor Creevey got to his feet, his dark robes floating around him. "I'm so sorry once again Harry. I was honestly as shocked as you were when I found out that someone from our own House could do this to one of their own."

"Dennis, no one could have expected it," Lily's dad said, standing up from his own chair to shake Professor Creevey's hand. "I learnt a long time ago that a person's House doesn't define them entirely." At this Professor Creevey nodded solemnly before letting his eyes drift to the portrait of Professor Snape, who was still sleeping like the other headmasters and headmistresses.

"I just hope your punishment is enough to put a stop on this," Ginny mused worriedly, hugging Professor Creevey tightly.

"How about we put all this to bed and go and enjoy a nice cup of tea in the staff room?" The headmaster announced, for he didn't give much of a chance for anybody to argue. Instead he drifted out of his office with Harry and Ginny next to him and Lily and Teddy bringing it up the rear. Soon enough, the three of them started talking about people Lily only vaguely knew, so she switched off and turned to Teddy.

His hair today was blonde with electric blue tips, a style Lily liked on him. He looked very smart in his suit, carrying his briefcase with all his legal papers. "How are you holding up?" Teddy asked, linking arms with the very small Lily. He offered her a bright smile which Lily weakly returned.

Exhaustedly, Lily let out a deep breath. "I'm tired of it all Teddy! I just wish I could hide in my dormitory until people get on with their lives and quit getting nosy in my business." She leaned into Teddy's side, appreciating the brotherly comfort that came with him.

"Nothing lasts forever Lils, especially gossip," Teddy said wisely. "And on the plus side, we were successful with the law-suit and as a result, received compensation for the photograph used in the article." Lily opened her mouth of speak but Teddy shot her down. "I'm not going to tell you how much; just check your vault balance and then you can thank me," he continued with a sly smile.

At this point, they had reached the staff room. Here Lily said goodbye to her family and thanked them for their support. She didn't want to leave but she wasn't allowed into the staff room so she hugged her mother, father and Teddy and then wandered aimlessly down the corridor. Subconsciously, she found herself heading for Gryffindor Tower. But then all of sudden, just outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, Lily stopped up short.

Kate hadn't actually apologised to Lily herself. It was obvious that she had said she was sorry to Professor Creevey and perhaps even to her parents, but she hadn't said anything to Lily's face. Deep down in her stomach, she felt that this wouldn't be the last time Kate interfered with her life. However all she could do was tell Rose what had happened and hopefully Rose would realise that she had been used by Kate simply as a means of getting information.

"Are you coming in young lady?" the Fat Lady snapped impatiently.

Jumping slightly, Lily said the password and climbed through the hole, landing in the common room and instantly looking around. In the corner she saw her friends with Albus, Scorpius, Kaleb and Franklin and they waved her over but she shook her head and kept looking. Then on the opposite side, staring longingly at Scorpius, Lily spotted Rose. Instantly Lily leapt at the opportunity to talk to her cousin and made her way across the common room, briefly smiling at her friends who were looking.

"Hi Rose," Lily said sweetly. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Quickly her cousin tried to make it look like she had been doing her homework and not staring at Scorpius. "Oh yeah, I was just working on my Charms homework," Rose said, moving up the bench so Lily could sit down. By the looks of her books however, it was Astronomy she was working on. "What's up?"

"It's about Kate," Lily replied nervously, playing with a strand of her hair. "I just got back from a meeting with Professor Creevey and it turns out she was the one who leaked all the information about Oscar and I to Witch Weekly."

"Well any publicity is good publicity," Rose answered with a shrug.

Lily had to double-take in her head over her cousin's words. Was she actually siding with Kate over all this? "I thought I would just warn you because it seems she has an affinity for leaking secrets and I wouldn't want what has happened to me to happen to you. It's horrible and extremely violating." Unfortunately Lily felt her words were wasted seeing as Rose was ignoring her and looking down at her homework. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she added weakly and she got up and walked over to her friends.

"Everything ok?" Ariana asked as soon as Lily fell onto the sofa next to Dominique and Hugo.

Exhaling very loudly, Lily shrugged her shoulders. "I found out who leaked all that information to Witch Weekly." Immediately they all leaned in to hear Lily's words, knowing that she wasn't about to shout it from the turrets of the castle. "Turns out it was Rose's best friend, Kate."

"Kate Bolden in our year," Kaleb cried, leaning back in his chair. "She's hot!" He looked to Albus and Scorpius for support but both of them shook their heads.

"I bet she's been using Rose, seeing as she does like to ramble on about pointless gossip," Hugo said, reaching his arm around Lily to rest it on her shoulder and pull her closer. "But let me guess, Rose doesn't see the bad side to the articles." Lily nodded sadly. She had really hoped that Rose would stick up for Lily, show some family loyalty, but then again she always did like the limelight that came with your parents being two thirds of The Golden Trio.

"At least we know how to avoid the situation from now on," Albus said from across the table. He was sat in his school robes like everyone else, the emblem of Slytherin on his jumper. Next to him was Scorpius and then Ariana. Kaleb had his own chair and Phoebe and Franklin were sharing a chair.

"That reminds me. Teddy says that he's filing for a privacy order for us, so that newspapers can't officially use our names unless we give them permission. James doesn't have it because he's an adult," Lily said, pulling her knees up to her chest. Albus just nodded at the news.

Then Dominique started talking about how Scarlet Ash had started having a go at her in Transfiguration, making Lily zone out seeing as she had been there when it happened. It was true what Albus had said, she knew now to avoid Kate and by association, Rose too. Besides she had much more exciting things to worry about then what the papers were printing about her. Looking up from her knees, she caught Scorpius' eye, thinking about the date he was planning and tried to hide her smile when he winked at her.

###

For a few weeks, time was spent with Scorpius smirking across the width of the Great Hall and Lily blushing like a little schoolgirl behind her hair whenever the pair of them caught each other's eyes, usually ending in Scorpius winking seductively. He was still recovering from his fall but thankfully he was making good progress. And they did have the opportunity to hang out with each other but usually all of their friends were surrounding them so they couldn't talk about what Lily really wanted to talk about.

The date.

For weeks Lily had been waiting and waiting anxiously, worrying that Scorpius had changed his mind and his silence was his way of telling her that there was no date to look forward to. Hugo and Ariana were quick to reassure her though, saying that he was probably planning the most amazing date he could come up with. This eased Lily's mind a little bit.

In the end there was nothing for Lily to be worried about because finally she heard from Scorpius, even if the method was slightly unconventional.

Lily had been sat on the wall in the courtyard, reading in her favourite spot when something fluffy rubbed up against her leg, alarming her slightly. Peering over her knees, Lily laughed as she saw Belle sat in front of her, casually licking her paw; and attached to Belle was a letter from Scorpius, telling her to meet him on Friday 1st May after classes under the big oak tree.

Giddy with excitement, Lily had jumped off the wall, picking up her book and Belle before running into the castle. Once inside, Belle had elegantly hopped out of Lily's grip, heading for the dungeons and then Lily had quite literally raced to Gryffindor Tower to tell her friends the good news. Unfortunately for her mood, not all of them had been happy for Lily like she had hoped.

"Lily!" Dominique hissed, sitting bolt upright in her chair. When Lily had entered the common room, Ariana, Dominique, Hugo and Phoebe had all been crowding around a game of Wizard's Chess that Ariana had challenged Hugo to. "I seem to be having deja vu because I swear we have talked about you and Scorpius and settled the matter. I thought you had moved on from him."

"It's not like Albus is going to love the fact that his little sister and his best friend are going at it behind his back either," Phoebe added, although her concentration was focused on painting her nails a sky blue colour.

Lily sighed deeply. She hadn't expected to confront such resistance from her friends. Her good mood instantly dropped as did her smile. "I know what I said Dom but actually putting those words into actions was so much more difficult than I ever could have guessed. I learnt a lot of things when I was with Oscar."

"Was one of them that the Sorting Hat was high on fabric softener when he put that asshole in Gryffindor?" Ariana asked, her attention on the chessboard. Evidently Ariana was still angry at Lily's ex-boyfriend for what he did to her, even if she had moved on from it herself. It didn't stop her laughing at Ariana's comment and when she looked up, Dominique was silently laughing too.

"That too," Lily replied before continuing on with what she was going to say. "But more so, I learnt that the only way I'm going to be truly happy is if I follow my heart. And right now, my heart is telling me to go for this. It's what I want." Lily moved her hands from behind her back to her chest, perching down on Hugo's chair as he made his move. "Besides, it's only a date! Who knows, maybe we'll hate each other when we're finally alone.

"Just be happy for me!" she finished with pleading eyes.

Slowly, Lily watched the deliberation occur in Dominique's face, her features screwing up with thought. "I'm just worried that this will hurt the family more than you realise," Dominique admitted, crossing her legs under herself. "But if it's what you want and what will make you happy then I have to respect that. Anyway I could easily take him on in a fight." Both Lily and Dominique laughed lightly while Ariana's knight smashed through Hugo's last pawn.

###

By the time that very Friday came round, Lily was literally bouncing with excitement. Classes seemed to go extremely slow that day, even Defence Against The Dark Arts which was Lily's best subject. Her attention span was smaller than a goldfish, her focus entirely on what was happening as soon as her last lesson finished. As soon as Professor Cattermole let them leave Transfiguration, Lily practically threw her wand, books and quills into her bag and sprinted out of the class, heading straight for Gryffindor Tower.

Once she was in her dormitory, she tossed her bag onto her bed and then rummaged in her trunk looking for the outfit she had planned. By the time Dominique, Ariana and Hugo arrived, which was about five minutes after classes had finished, the entire dormitory was covered with Lily's clothes with Lily looking despairingly at her nearly empty trunk.

"Whoa, did a bomb go off in here or something Lils?" Dominique asked as the three of them jumped onto her bed, the one closest to the door.

Throwing her hair from her face, Lily huffed angrily. "I can't find the outfit I planned for my date. I swear I saw it all this morning but..." she trailed off and looked around the dormitory like she was lost. "WHERE IS IT?"

"Lils, relax!" Hugo said calmly from Dominique's bed.

"I can't relax," Lily snapped back, throwing her hands up into the air. "How can you tell me to relax when I'm supposed to be on my date already?"

"Because your outfit is on the bed where you put it this morning Lily!" Ariana cried, hitting herself in the head with Dominique's pillow.

Taken back, Lily mouthed an 'oh' and peered past the curtains into her bed, where the red long-sleeved top and high-waisted shorts were laid out. She blushed and apologised before throwing everything back into her trunk quickly, not caring to fold, and then grabbing her clothes and heading into the bathroom. There she quickly changed and added her favourite vanilla lip balm to her lips along with a small line of eyeliner and some mascara. Plumping her lips, Lily checked her appearance and smiled, feeling the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

Back in the dormitory, Lily stole Phoebe's small red bag that was Charmed, threw her lip balm and wand in and closed the clasp. Then she crawled onto Dominique's bed, squeezing between Ariana and Hugo. "I'll see you all later. And thanks for supporting me, because right now, I'm a very happy Potter!" They all spent a minute or two giggling before Lily sat bolt up right and realised Scorpius was waiting for her. "Air kisses everyone!" she cried, blowing a few to Dominique's bed before darting out of Gryffindor Tower and eventually the castle.

Her excitement couldn't stop Lily skipping down the hills of the Grounds, heading for the big oak tree that overlooked the Black Lake. The sun was falling lower in the sky, casting a few lasting rays across the grass - a perfect evening. There were a few students scattered around, enjoying what was left of the day but Lily paid them no mind. She was too focused on the shadows surrounding the oak tree.

It wasn't until she was very close that Lily realised no one was waiting for her under the branches. Her skips abruptly stopped and Lily frowned at the tree. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but she thought Scorpius would be waiting for her. Feeling slightly deflated, Lily threw up her arms with a huff and sat down under the tree, staring out the Black Lake, hidden from the castle.

All of a sudden there was a rustle above Lily's head and a figure dropped out of the branches landing in front of her. With a skip of her heart, Lily yelped in fright, almost jumping out of her skin. But then the figure broke out in a very familiar laugh and Lily frowned as the sunlight caught on Scorpius' white blonde hair.

"I can't believe you!" Lily cried. Quickly she scrambled to her feet and crossed her arms around her chest.

Scorpius was still finding it hard to stop laughing but eventually he managed, his hand on the ribs that had broken. His hand was still bandaged although it was no longer in a sling. "I'm sorry Lils, but it was too good to resist." He stepped forward and ran a hand down her arm from her shoulder to her hand before he tugged her into his side for a hug.

Instantly Lily felt herself melt into his arms, all hostility in her body falling away. A smile stretched across her lips as she breathed in the strong scent of his aftershave. If the date went anywhere near as well as this hug, it was going to be fantastic. It seemed like ages before Lily was being separated from Scorpius.

"I'm been waiting weeks for that," he confessed, still holding one of her hands while the other ran fingers through his hair. "It's been like torture hanging out with you and yet not being able to be with you."

Lily giggled and felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "Am I allowed to know anything about our date or is it a complete surprise?"

Her hand was released and Scorpius was suddenly rummaging in the backpack he had been wearing. Out of it, he pulled a shimmering fabric Lily had only seen a few times - the Invisibility Cloak. "Our date is in the Shrieking Shack tonight so I stole this from Albus." With a swift movement, both Lily and Scorpius were hidden from onlookers and they were making their way to the Whomping Willow.

They silently managed to pass all of the few students who were lingering still around the Grounds until they reached the old, mobile tree that still scared Lily. Using a simple Levitation Spell, Scorpius used a long branch to press the knot in the trunk, making the Whomping Willow freeze. Both of them darted under the wavering branches, taking the Cloak off just as they disappearing into the hidden passage.

In no time at all, Scorpius was helping Lily climb out of the trapdoor. As soon as she was on her feet, something fell over Lily's eyes, knotted at the back of her head. Then with gentle encouragements from Scorpius, his touch led her blindly through the Shrieking Shack. She heard the creak of her footsteps on the old floorboards and then all of a sudden, she was stopped in her tracks.

When the knot was loosened and the fabric fell away, Lily gasped slightly. They were in the room with the painted handprints all up the wall. There was a blanket spread out in the middle of the floor, surrounded by candles that carved out a little pathway to the small picnic Scorpius had prepared.

"Do you like it?" Scorpius quietly asked over her shoulder, his hot breath tickling the skin on her neck. His hands traced lines up and down Lily's arms, accelerating her heart rate until it was pounding against her ribcage.

The words were caught in her throat so she nodded her head and swallowed hard. "It's beautiful Scorpius," she breathed. "But you didn't have to do all this."

"Of course I did," he replied quickly. His hand pressed into the base of her back, urging her into the room. "You deserve all of this and so much more - all of which I intend to give you." Both of them sat down on the blanket opposite each other, with the picnic basket between them.

Familiar and yet foreign smells surrounded Lily and she let out another gasp. "Did you get Chinese food?" she asked excitedly. Scorpius just winked secretively and then opened the basket, pulling out takeaway boxes that made Lily's mouth water. "Holy Hippogriff, Ariana is going to be so jealous." Scorpius laughed lightly and handed her an open box and a pair of chopsticks.

There was the pop as he opened a couple of Butterbeers and together, they clinked them with an echoing 'ping'. "To the first of many dates!" Scorpius declared before taking a big swig of his drink and then digging into his food, expertly handling his chopsticks.

"And what makes you think that there will be more dates after this?" argued Lily, raising her eyebrows.

Leaning in, Scorpius smirked. "Like you could resist me."

"You seem to think very highly of yourself Mr Malfoy!" Lily remarked, whilst fumbling with her chopsticks. She couldn't really understand how to hold them correctly in order to pick up her noodles. The confusion made her huff loudly.

When she looked up from her food, Scorpius was holding out a fork for Lily, which she quickly swapped her chopsticks for. He winked cheekily. "I'm very confident," he said, kissing the blush that had covered her cheeks, only making Lily blush bolder.

"Oh I wanted to say thank you for your advice on Hugo!" Lily said, remembering all the things she wanted to talk about now that they weren't surrounded by everyone else. After all, it was Scorpius who told Lily to give her cousin some space and assured her that he would tell her when he was ready. "It was hard but I probably would have snapped at him if you hadn't said anything."

"I didn't tell you anything special," Scorpius confessed, shoving a mouthful of noodles into his mouth. "I'm just glad he's ok now. He seems much happier now that he is away from Ravenclaw."

At first, Lily had food in her mouth, so she just nodded until she had swallowed her food. "I know. Plus it's nice having him around more often. It's just like when we were little: the three of us, Dom, Hugo and I."

"I've noticed a difference in Ariana too," he said inquisitively.

"Merlin's beard!" Lily cried in response, throwing her head back exasperatedly. "It's killing me," she said and when she saw Scorpius raise his eyebrows, she continued on. "Albus is such an imbecile for not seeing the effect he has on Ari because she really likes him and he's completely blind to it."

Scorpius was just nodding, for he knew as much as Lily how stubborn her brother could be. "After seeing the pair of them at Sebastian's party, I thought it would be the start of something between them. But when we got back to Hogwarts, Al didn't want to talk about her at all, even though Franklin and I put so much pressure on him. There's got to be more to it than what he's saying."

"But he wouldn't like us interfering!" Lily exclaimed.

"And when did that ever stop Lily Potter?"

###

It didn't take long for Lily to really start enjoying herself. The food Scorpius had brought with him, although she wouldn't tell her how he got it, was absolutely delicious and so much more easier to eat thanks to her fork. The conversation flowed so easily too, something that Lily was worried about. They talked about Quidditch and everything that was happening with the Slytherin team, which was a lot.

Once Scorpius had left the hospital wing, Percy had called together a team meeting, including Perry, to decide his fate with the team. It was Scorpius' decision in the end and he decided to hold try-outs again, but the whole thing was to just scare Perry into wanting to train harder, which was what happened. Besides there was no one better to replace him. It was obvious that Scorpius was very smug about the plan, seeing as it was his own.

They talked about classes too, including Lily's favourite - Defence Against The Dark Arts. It seemed that they were both really good at Professor Wilson's subject, bragging that they were at the top of the class. Unfortunately for Lily though, Scorpius also wanted to talk about her worst subject, which made her groan. He was proud that she was getting better at Potions, thanks to Hugo tutoring her. However she still blew up her cauldron from time to time, showing how terrible she still was at the practical side of the subject.

After they finished their food, Scorpius made all the mess disappear magically and then the pair of them laid back on the blanket side by side, with Lily's head resting on Scorpius' outstretched arm, staring up at the wall of handprints. Their hands were clasped together, their fingers twisting around each other in various different patterns. The moment was so warming (not just because they were surrounded by burning candles), so Lily thought it would be a good time to get to know her date a little better.

"Why did you pick our date here?" she asked, staring up at her handprint just above his, instantly remembering Albus' party. The image of Scorpius with blue streaks through his hair brought a smile to her lips. "What's so special about the Shrieking Shack?"

From above Lily's head, she heard him sigh loudly. "At the wedding over the summer, I realised the type of feelings I had for you; feelings that wanted you in a more intimate way. I swear Lils, when you came out into the garden in your dress and spun in front of Hugo, you took the breath right out of my lungs." Scorpius' words sent just as many shivers down her spine as his touch would have. Lily turned her head away to look at their fingers interlaced, hiding her blush. "And then I spent months trying to figure out if you felt the same way."

"Are you kidding me?" Lily interrupted, absolutely stunned. She flipped over onto her stomach, lifting her head up slightly to look at Scorpius, laughing to herself lightly at the irony. "I've had a crush on you since you came home with Albus for that first summer."

"Now she tells me," he murmured exasperatedly with a smirk on his face as he looked down at Lily. His bandaged hand reached up to stroke a strand of hair from her face, leaving it there to cup her cheek. "I kept looking for an opportunity to get you alone, which is impossible with your friends by the way! It wasn't until Al's birthday that I got my chance." His gaze moved up from Lily's face to the handprints on the wall and Lily rested her head back on his arm, still looking at him. "I brought you into this very room to tell you how I felt, even though all I had was hope that you would like me back."

"But that still doesn't answer my question," Lily said with a smile.

Her head jostled slightly as Scorpius chuckled to himself. "I thought this would be the place we would have our first kiss, not a dark and cold courtyard just after you had fainted. I thought I would tell you everything, you'd feel the same way and then we'd kiss. But things didn't turn out like that so instead of having our first kiss here, we're having our first date here."

"Thank you," Lily mumbled, drawing Scorpius' bright grey eyes down to look at her. "Thank you for making this really special." Pushing on her knees, she lifted herself up slightly and moved forward, pressing her lips onto his. His body tensed underneath her body and she smiled against his lips.

But then suddenly, Scorpius was kissing her again with much more force, his hands on her hips as he sat up and lifted her onto his lap. Her hands locked around his neck, leveraging herself as she pressed up against him. Lips moved together as one and for Lily, everything was Scorpius. He was all she could feel, all she could taste, all she could smell. Even with her eyes closed, he was all she could see.

When she pulled away, she was slightly breathless. However she didn't take her hands down from his neck. She wasn't ready to let him go: the moment was too perfect. Instead she just smiled at him with a small blush, before curling up and resting herself against his chest. "It may not have been our first kiss, but it's one I'll never forget," she whispered, her eyes fixed on the nearest flickering candle.

Scorpius kissed her hair gently, then resting his chin on top of her head. His arms moved up her body to hug her small waist and pull her closer to him. "If I'd known you were going to kiss me like that, I wouldn't have let you run away after you streaked my hair with blue," he replied quietly, his body moving with his silent laughter.

And when Lily looked up at him, his lips wore a genuine smile.

###

It wasn't long after the kiss that Scorpius suggested it was getting late. As much as Lily didn't want to eave, she knew that they should probably be heading back to the castle - the longer Scorpius had the Cloak, the higher the risk that Albus would find out. Therefore Lily climbed from Scorpius' lap, straightening her shorts out, and picked up her borrowed bag, while Scorpius folded up the blanket and Vanished it with a flourish of his wand. Then the pair of them left the Shrieking Shack through the trapdoor, Scorpius taking the lead.

In a matter of minutes, they were emerging under the Whomping Willow, its branches suspended thanks to Scorpius pressing the knot from within the hole. Quickly they darted out of range of the deadly tree, Scorpius rummaging through his backpack to reveal the Cloak. He wrapped the silvery fabric around both of them but this time, as they made their way around the castle to the big oak tree, Lily found her hand tightly grasped in Scorpius'.

Under the shadow of the oak tree, with the Black Lake as a backdrop, the Cloak quickly found its way to the grass and Lily was taken back by lips pressing fiercely against her own - the force of which caused her to stagger until her back slammed into the rough bark of the tree. Tilting her head up, she knotted her fingers in his hair, making fists of messy blonde hair, while his hands roam the sides of her body, holding her up so neither of them had to strain their necks to reach.

This time it was Scorpius to pulled back first. His lips moved only a mere centimetre or two away, his hot breath mixing with her own as they both worked to regulate their breathing. She could feel her skin prickling under his touch, sending shivers down her spine which only made her want to be closer to him.

"Will there be another date then Miss Potter?" he murmured, his lips hovering above hers teasingly.

She didn't need to think about it but she paused anyway to add some suspense. "I think so, just because I want to know how'll top this one," Lily whispered, pushing over the tree to kiss Scorpius lightly on the lips. Their lips moved together and Scorpius ran his hands up her sides to cup her face gently. Only then did Lily bite down seductively on his bottom lip before tugging slightly and then ducking down to pick up her bag. "I'll see you later," she said, beginning to walk back up to the castle, leaving a slightly stunned Scorpius behind.

* * *

_Author's Note: This is such a long chapter! It has taken a while to write because the weather in England has been so beautiful and I have been out enjoying it as much as possible, before it runs away and we never see it again until next year. At first it was just going to be the date, but then I decided to tie up the loose end of who leaked Lily and Oscar's relationship. Were you shocked?_

_I can't say that for certain when the next chapter will be out: I think I know what happens in it and I think it's going to be more of a filler, so we can get to more exciting chapters. Then again, I may get a burst of inspiration and then it will be filled with drama._

_If you want to see the chapter come faster, leave a review because it really does help :D_


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